


The Seeds We've Sown

by Foarrin



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Discussion of Abortion, Engagement, F/M, Teen Pregnancy, Unplanned Pregnancy, Wedding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-14 17:15:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 24,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15393561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Foarrin/pseuds/Foarrin
Summary: Almost two months after moving to Auradon, Evie is sick. All the symptoms point to one thing: she's pregnant. Uncertain about what to do, Evie knows she needs her friends most now. Doug is there for her most even when he knows it to be Chad's baby. Evie/Doug; Chad/Audrey.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Descendants or its prequel Isle of the Lost.

"Evie, are you alright?" Doug asked quietly. He glanced at the blue-haired beauty sitting next to him at the same lab bench. They had only been in Chemistry for ten minutes, and he could already tell something was wrong.

Evie shook her head. Her jaw clenched tightly, and her eyes seemed out of focus. She wasn't taking notes or drawing her usual doodles in the margin with her sparkly blue gel pen. "I'm fine," she whispered back, her eyes trained on the board as their teacher wrote a new chemical equation.

Doug glanced back at the board and absently wrote down the equation, not really paying attention to what elements they were combining. "Are you sure? You look pale." She looked worse than that, but Doug wasn't going to be the one to tell her that. Her face was glossy, like her skin was clammy and sweaty from running around the block.

"Now, when you get into your pairs, you are to mix the two solutions separately before putting them together. Does everyone understand?" their teacher asked, glancing around the room. He nodded. "Good. Go ahead and break into your usual pairs and get started. I'll be around to answer questions as you work. And fill out page forty-two in your workbooks as you go. It will make things much easier on you for the quiz on Friday if you take good observation notes."

There was the scraping of chairs as people started moving, some changing tables and others going to get extra beakers and vials from the cabinets. Doug turned to Evie. They always worked together. But instead of asking her about the lab assignment to get started, he said, "Evie, seriously, what's wrong?"

Evie shook her head. "Nothing. Really." She gave him a weak smile that he didn't believe one bit.

He looked at her for a moment longer before sighing. "Fine." He reached forward for one of their vials of materials.

"What's that smell?" Evie asked sharply.

Doug looked up at her from the instructions that had been handed out at the beginning of class. "What? I haven't opened anything yet." But he followed Evie's gaze to the next table, who had just opened begun to mix their first solution. Doug could faintly smell something like chlorine or bleach. "It's nothing," he said.

But in that instant, Evie clamped a hand over her mouth, snatched up her purse, and dashed from the room. Doug blinked and then looked around. No one else had noticed. Their teacher was busy with another group on the other side of the room. Without any more hesitation, Doug replaced the vial on their table carefully and went after her.

Out in the hall, he saw her disappear around the next corner. He followed at a quick pace, assuming she was headed for the girls' restroom. He turned the corner and stopped abruptly at the door to the girls' bathroom. Everyone should be in class. There was no harm in following Evie. Just to make sure she was alright.

Taking a deep breath, Doug pushed open the door and slipped inside. He was immediately met by sobs echoing from the last stall, the largest one. The door was open, so he could see Evie's boots. She was kneeling in front of the toilet. The sobs paused for a moment only for Evie to wretch and gag, vomiting into the toilet.

"Evie?" Doug said softly so as not to startle her once her was standing in the doorway of her stall. "Are you ok?"

Evie sniffled and grabbed a bit of toilet paper from the roll beside her head. She wiped her mouth, sitting back on her heels. She was breathing heavily. "I don't know. I...I don't know what's wrong. Probably just something I ate." She sniffled again and stared at the floor. "What are you doing in here? You shouldn't be here," she said weakly.

Doug stepped into the stall and shut the door behind him but didn't lock it. "I wanted to make sure you were ok."

Evie nodded weakly in understanding. "Thanks," she said. Then she burst into tears.

"Evie, Evie, what's wrong?" Doug asked. "I'm sure you're fine. I can take you to the nurse."

Evie shook her head. "I don't know that it is. I just...I'm worried."

"Why?"

Evie just shook her head again. "Girl stuff."

Doug stepped closer to her. "I have sisters, Evie. I know all about girl stuff."

Evie sniffled, peering up at him. He thought she looked like a lost baby deer pleading with a hunter. "You do?"

"Yeah. Even if I hadn't grown up with girls, I'm not stupid." Doug crouched beside her so they were at eye level. "What's going on?"

"I'm late."

Doug's heart sank. His mind rushed to make up assumptions and possibilities that he didn't even want to entertain at that moment. Or at all, really. "Is there a reason that should worry you?" he asked softly.

Evie sniffled and more tears followed, running down her cheeks and dripping onto her dress. She nodded quickly, shutting her eyes. "Before the coronation...before, uh, family day and the big game...I..." She shook her head and swallowed. "Right after we got here...I..."

"You what?" Chad prompted her, dreading the answer.

"Chad and I..." Evie swallowed. "I thought he liked me, Doug." She started crying again. Then she lunged forward and vomited into the toilet again.

Doug sighed softly and pulled her hair back for her. "Evie...you really think you're...pregnant?" he asked after it seemed like she had finished.

Evie sat back on her heels again. "Thanks." She wiped at her mouth again and brushed her hair back over her shoulders. "I don't know," she said. She swallowed again. "I thought...maybe if I ignored it that I might be fine. I thought it might've been stress making me late."

"Did you use protection...with Chad?" Doug asked. The additional two words made him want to vomit himself. The thought of Chad touching...of being with Evie in that way made him ill.

Evie blinked. "What? What kind of protection?"

"You..." Doug frowned, instantly wanting to find Chad and punch him if he hadn't used protection with Evie. Chad, at least, should have known better. "You don't have protection for sex on the Isle?"

Evie shook her head. "We don't really get much on the Isle."

Doug blew out a long breath. "I'm going to kill Chad," he grumbled.

Evie shook her head quickly. "No, no, please don't say anything to anyone. Mal's the only one I've told any of this to. I don't even know if it's true."

"You should go to the nurse. She could tell you."

Evie shook her head again. "No. No, it'll be fine."

Doug studied her face. She looked anything but fine. She looked like she was about to faint. He glanced to her purse where she had thrown it on the tile floor beside her. "Would your mirror know?"

"I..." Evie followed his gaze. "I don't know. Can it know things like that?"

Doug shrugged. "I'm a science guy. Magic is different. It's possible."

Evie reached for her bag and pulled it into her lap. She opened it and took out the handheld magic mirror. "Mirror, Mirror, uh...give me your will; tell me what is making me ill." She glanced up at Doug and shrugged. He understood. Rhyming on the spot wasn't exactly easy, especially when under stress like she was. She looked back at the mirror and frowned. "I think it's broken."

Doug grabbed her wrist and tilted her hand so he could see the mirror too. It was far from broken. It was actually...impressive. It was a sonogram, though he understood that Evie would just see it as TV static. She wasn't far enough along to see anything really. But still, it was a sonogram, which Doug guessed was the mirror's way of answering.

He looked up at her. "No, it's...Evie, here we have machines that let us see inside the womb, sort of. They look like this. This is the photo that a woman gets when she's pregnant." He looked down at it again. "I still think you should go see a doctor, but I think this means you really are pregnant. Around six weeks, I'm guessing from what you told me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N from original upload on fanfiction.net (12/14/2015): Thanks so much for reading the first chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed it. Remember to check my profile for periodic news on updates. Give this a fave, follow, and review if you liked it.
> 
> Foarrin


	2. Chapter 2

"Alright," Doug said, stepping out into the hallway and shutting the chemistry classroom's door behind him quietly. "He wasn't happy about it, but he said we could just finish the lab a different day."

"Thank you," Evie said. She wouldn't meet his eyes, and she was hugging her stomach. "What did you tell him?"

Doug shrugged, folding the nurse's note from their teacher in half and tucking it into his pocket. "The truth: that you got sick and I wanted to make sure you were ok. He agreed it was best you just go to the nurse if you threw up."

Evie nodded, her eyes still trained on the floor. She shuffled her feet. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

Doug reached froward, using one hand to tilt her chin up so she would look at him. "Hey, it's fine. I want to make sure you get this all figured out." He nodded down the hallway. "Ready?"

They started walking, though silence stretched between them. After they had turned down three different hallways on the way to the nurse's office, Evie sighed. "This isn't going to get figured out though," she mumbled.

"Hm?"

"I mean...if the mirror is right...if it's true..."

"You will figure it out," Doug finished for her. "You will. You have friends here who love you. At least Mal and I will help you. I don't know Jay and Carlos well enough to say how they would even react."

Evie swallowed and shook her head. "I'm not ready for them to know. I'm not sure I'm even ready to know. But I know I need to."

Doug nodded, and they continued on through the halls. It only took a few more minutes to reach the nurse's office. Doug reached forward to open the door, but Evie put out a hand to stop him. She was frowning at the name plate on the door.

"Who did you say the school nurse was related to?" Evie asked.

Doug looked up at the shiny metal plaque. It read:  _Ms. Odie._ "It's Mama Odie's great-granddaughter. You know, uh, the woman who helped Tiana and Naveen?"

Evie nodded slowly. "Right." She looked at him, still frowning. "The headmaster of the school on the Isle is Dr. Facilier."

Doug raised an eyebrow. "He's in charge of children?"

"All of the villains are, technically. You act like you're surprised."

Doug shrugged a shoulder. "I'm surprised he's doing that is all. The only thing I know about him are his voodoo practices." He paused and gave her another smile. "Ready?" he asked, trying to be encouraging and supportive for her.

Evie took a deep breath and let it out. She nodded, and he opened the door. The two of them walked into the small medical room together. There was a small bed pushed up against one wall with a desk against the opposite wall. Filing cabinets, medical supplies, and health charts covered every other inch of the space. It was hard to even tell what color the walls were. At the desk sat a tall woman with jet black hair pulled back in a bun. Huge golden hoops hung from her ears. She looked up when they entered and smiled, her teeth a gleaming white.

"Hi, Doug. And you must be the Evie I've heard so much about around campus," Ms. Odie said, looking at them both. When Evie nodded, the woman pushed her chair back and turned more to face them. "How can I help you today?"

Doug took the note from his pocket and handed it to her. "Uh, it says she's just sick to her stomach, but," he glanced at Evie, "there's a chance that she's pregnant."

Ms. Odie nodded and took the note from him. She unfolded it and turned back to her computer. After a few clicks of her mouse, she started typing while looking at the note. "Alright, so I'm guessing you want to check to make sure if that's the case, yes, Evie?" She glanced up at Evie, and the blue-haired girl nodded. "Ok, just take a seat. It'll take a moment to get set up."

"How do you do it?" Evie asked softly, not moving form her spot beside door. She sounded like a mouse, as if talking at a normal volume would implode the universe. "The test, I mean."

Ms. Odie stood and moved to one of the filing cabinets. She opened it and took out an empty file folder. "I'm practiced in some basic medical magic. I can read your aura. If you're pregnant, your hormones will have changed enough so that your aura appears differently to me. To do much more than that, you'll need to go to the city's hospital in town. But, I can tell you yes or no at least." She took a permanent marker from her desk and scribbled Evie's name on the tab of the file folder. Then she took the note from their teacher, slipped it inside, and returned the folder to its place in the cabinet.

Evie nodded and finally sat down on the bed. She sat her purse beside her and fidgeted uneasily.

Ms. Odie walked over to Evie, and Doug took a step back so he wouldn't be in the way. The nurse gripped both of Evie's shoulders firmly and closed her eyes. There was a moment's pause, and then the woman began whispering rapidly under her breath. The words weren't any that Doug recognized, but he guessed they were a voodoo chant of some kind.

A few seconds into the chant, Evie's outline began to glow a soft blue, only a few shades lighter than the color she normally wore for most of her outfits. Ms. Odie opened her eyes and hummed thoughtfully, studying Evie. The girl herself just sat there awkwardly, and she soon diverted her gaze from the nurse's face to her lap where she examined the glow around her hands, fascinated. As for Doug, he had never seen any type of voodoo magic performed. It was strangely calming to see Evie's aura made to be visible. It just proved she was true to herself, he figured, if both her aura and outward portrayal of herself appeared as the same color.

Ms. Odie released Evie and stepped back. Evie's blue glow immediately disappeared.

"Well?" Doug asked. He honestly didn't think the Magic Mirror was wrong, but having a health professional confirm it would certainly give them a more reliable answer.

"Well, Evie, you are definitely pregnant," Ms. Odie said, nodding. "Somewhere between four and six weeks by the looks of it."

Evie leaned forward, pressing her face into her hands while her elbows rested on her knees. "Oh my gosh..." She shook her head and sniffled.

Ms. Odie walked back to her desk. She glanced from Evie to Doug and then back to her computer as she leaned down to type something else into the digital version of Evie's file. "You're not required to tell me who it is, but it would be helpful to have the father know you are pregnant. Should I print a note for him for proof?"

"I-" Evie began, looking up.

"I am," Doug interjected before Evie could finish. He glanced at her and saw surprise flicker across her face briefly to be instantly replaced by a glare. He looked back to the nurse. "I'm the father."

Ms. Odie raised an eyebrow, almost as if she didn't believe him. But then she nodded. "Alright. Well, that makes it easy then. There's not much I can do here for you. I'm going to refer you to Dr. Sweet in town."

Evie looked away from Doug to blink at the nurse, obviously confused. "Who's he?"

"He's the best in Auradon. He once accompanied a group on an expedition to the lost city of Atlantis," Ms. Odie explained as she scribbled a note onto a piece of paper. It looked like an address and a phone number. She ripped it off the pad and straightened up before handing it to Evie. "That's his office number. You'll need to set up an appointment with him to talk about the next step."

Evie nodded, absently folding the piece of paper and slipping it into her purse. "Thank you, Ms. Odie." She stood. "I ...thank you...I just need to think right now."

Ms. Odie nodded. "I understand. If you need anything else, my office hours are on the door." She smiled, but Evie didn't return it. Instead, Evie opened the door and disappeared out into the hall.

"Thank you," Doug said before following her. He jogged to catch up with Evie as she was already halfway down the hall.

Before he could say anything, she whipped around to face him and said, "You had no business doing that. Saying you're the father, I mean. You can't go around telling people that."

Doug blinked. "I'm sorry. I just...people are going to start to notice that you're pregnant sooner or later, Evie."

"So? That doesn't mean you should claim to be the father when you're not!" Evie huffed and looked away from him. "Chad's the father, not you. And before you say anything, I don't know what I'm telling Chad. I don't know that I even want to tell him at all."

"You're going to have to, Evie," Doug said. "That's why I said I was the father. I didn't think you would want people to start guessing and figure out it's Chad. I was giving you a different option."

Evie gaped at him. "That wasn't giving me an option. Giving me an option is  _asking me_ about it first before you blurt it out! This isn't your responsibility."

"Maybe I want it to be," Doug said quickly.

Evie frowned at him and put her hands on her hips. "What?"

"You heard me."

"Doug, I..." Evie sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I...look, I just have a lot to think about. I need to be alone. I'm sorry." She turned around sharply and marched off down the hall.

Doug just stared after her, his stomach in knots. That was not how he had wanted to tell her about his feelings for her. And his timing couldn't have been worse. But, he had meant it. If she decided she wanted to tell everyone he was the father, he would be ready to accept that role for her.


	3. Chapter 3

"You'll be fine. I'm right here behind you," Mal said, squeezing Evie's hand. They stood on the edge of the lawn of picnic tables that most students used for lunch. Evie had told Mal the night she found out she was pregnant about what had happened with the chemistry lab and the nurse. Mal had then spent the next week trying to convince her to tell Chad. Now, she had finally agreed.

"I can't do this," Evie said. She felt like she couldn't breathe. Chad was sitting at a table on the other side of the lawn under a tree. Audrey was at his side.

"Yes, you can. He deserves to at least know."

Evie nodded. "I know." She could practically quote Mal's reasons by now. None of the Isle kids knew their parents. Chad deserved to know and have the choice to be involved or not. She had no idea what he would really say until she told him. Yeah, Mal had told her about a thousand times already. But she knew she was right.

Evie swallowed, released Mal's hand, and smoothed down her dress in the front. Mal gave her a nod and a smile of encouragement. Then Evie took a deep breath and started for Chad and Audrey's table.

"Hi, Chad, Audrey," Evie said when she had reached their table. She held her hands clasped nervously in front of her. "Chad, could I talk to you for a minute?"

"He's busy. What do you want?" Audrey asked as she peeled an orange.

"Actually, I was..." Evie swallowed, her mouth dry. "I was hoping to talk to him alone."

"Sorry, we don't get to see each other much during the day," Chad explained. "How about I just catch you later during class or something?"

Evie nodded, feeling dazed. What little courage there had been in her chest deflated. She knew it was a lie. Chad and Audrey were nearly connected at the hip at all times. And she wasn't about to tell him in the middle of a class when there were tons of other people around to overhear. She nodded again, looking at the ground, and walked away over to where Mal sat on the other side of the lawn with Jay and Carlos.

She dropped down next to Mal on the bench. Hot tears were filling her eyes, and she tried to blink them away.

"Did you tell him?" Mal asked.

Evie shook her head. "He wouldn't talk to me alone. I just left."

"What's going on?" Jay asked. He and Carlos were currently working on demolishing an entire pizza between the two of them.

Mal looked at Evie, her eyes asking for permission.

Evie shrugged, thinking everyone would know sooner or later. Carlos and Jay were her best friends too, so it was wrong to keep them out of the loop at this point, even while she worked out exactly what she was going to do. She sighed and said, "I'm pregnant."

Jay choked on a slice of pepperoni pizza and coughed, staring at her. "With Chad's baby?" he asked after he was able to do so. "And he wouldn't even let you tell him just now?" He threw down his slice and stood. "That's...come on, Evie, I'll make him talk to you."

Evie lunged across the table and grabbed his hand. "Jay, please, don't," she pleaded. "He doesn't know what I was going to tell him. I don't want Audrey knowing. Please."

Jay frowned and hesitated before sitting back down and resuming eating.

Carlos swallowed his bite of food then. "What are you expecting him to say?"

Evie shrugged. "See ya, wouldn't want to be ya?"

"You don't know that," Mal said.

"I know," Evie said with a sigh.

The lunch period slowly passed. Despite Mal's prodding, Evie didn't touch any of the food Mal had gotten for her.

"I'll see you later, E," Mal said, hugging her. Carlos and Jay had already left to go back to class. Now, Mal was headed off to her next period as well.

Evie felt numb, but she managed a smile for her best friend before Mal walked away and joined the crowd of students headed back inside the school. Evie sighed and stood, taking her own untouched lunch to the trash and tossing it.

"Hey, I have a few minutes if you want to talk."

She spun around and came face-to-face with Chad. Her stomach turned in on itself. The last she had been this close to him...well, she knew where that had gotten her now. "Are you sure?" She looked around for any sign of Audrey.

"She went to the bathroom," Chad explained. "You needed something?"

"Yes," Evie said quickly. She stepped away from the trash area so they were standing to the side, away from everyone else. "I...uh..." She swallowed, keeping her gaze away from his expectant expression. "Chad..."

"Yeah?" Chad prompted her.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I'm pregnant." She didn't open them. She couldn't even imagine the look on his face. Was it horror? Fear? Disgust? Annoyance?

"Really?" Was that happiness? Happy surprise? No, it must have been disbelief, she decided. "Uh, I mean...is it mine?"

"Yes," she said, slowly opening her eyes. What she saw was confusion and surprise. Something else was mixed into the equation as well, but Evie couldn't tell what emotion it was.

"This is...geez...I mean..." Chad dragged a hand through his hair. "I don't know what to think."

"I didn't either at first. I'm not sure I do now either," Evie said.

"How long have you known?"

"About a week."

He nodded and looked over his shoulder. Audrey was standing outside the girls' bathroom door, looking around for him. He turned back to Evie. "I need to process this. But...thank you for telling me."

Evie nodded shortly. "I guess you should get back to Audrey."

"Yeah. Hey, don't take what she said too seriously. She's still not entirely on board with the villain kids program, you know. She'll come around once she realizes you guys meant what you said at the coronation."

Evie nodded. "Thanks, Chad. I'm sorry I sprung this on you."

"Is there any other way to tell someone you're pregnant?" he countered. When she shrugged, he smiled. "I've got to go. But just give me a bit to absorb this."

"Don't, uh, don't tell Audrey. I would appreciate it if not everyone knew right now."

Chad nodded. "I understand. See you." He turned and went to go join Audrey.

Evie took a deep breath in once he was gone, feeling as if a huge weight had lifted off her chest. The dread was mostly gone now. He hadn't freaked out. She understood that a neutral answer like what he had given her was the best she could have really hoped for. Now, came waiting a decision. And technically, he had quite a bit of time for that. She just hoped the rest of the school received the news as well as Chad had. Not that it was any of their business, but people would talk. Evie wished they wouldn't, but she knew Doug was right: sooner or later, people would start to notice.


	4. Chapter 4

By the time dinner rolled around that same evening, Chad felt anything but hungry. All he wanted to do was retire to his room and think. Think about what Evie had told him earlier at lunch. Think about what to do about it. Think about what it all meant for her future, his, Audrey's, and even the baby's. If they kept it. Would Evie want to keep it? Surely, she wouldn't have told him if she didn't plan on keeping it, right? His stomach twisted violently at the thought of her getting rid of it. Adoption was one thing, but an abortion was entirely different. Frankly, he didn't like either option though.

"Chad, can you please finish filling the glasses?" Cinderella asked, poking her head out of the kitchen so she could make sure he was still working in the dining room.

He nodded and continued what he had been doing before his thoughts made him stop. It was Friday, and he had gone home to Charmington for the weekend. Audrey had come too. They would be going shopping in Cinderellasburg the next morning. Apparently, Audrey thought the boutiques there had even better dresses than Audradon City. Plus, it meant spending the whole weekend together.

Chad had been looking forward to the trip home for weeks. Now that tourney season was over, he wasn't required to stay on campus every weekend for games and practices. This was the first weekend he had been home in a few months. But now, what should have been a carefree dinner with his parents and his girlfriend was now a thunderstorm of anxious thoughts in his mind.

He set down the pitcher of sweet tea now that he had finished filling the four glasses around the table. But he didn't take the pitcher back to the kitchen where his mom was cooking. He leaned against the table, his gaze focused on the wood surface. What would people say? What would his parents say? What would Audrey-

"Chad?" Audrey was standing in the doorway to the kitchen now. "Are you ok?"

Chad straightened up and flashed her a smile. "Yeah." He followed her back into the kitchen.

Cinderella was stripping leaves from a head of lettuce, ripping them, and tossing them into a large silver bowl. They had a kitchen staff that usually did the cooking for all the meals, but Chad's mother always insisted on cooking the meal anytime he came home for a visit.

"Your father will be home from his meeting any moment," Cinderella said, looking over her shoulder at Chad. "Can you and Audrey finish setting the table?"

"Actually," Chad said quickly, and his heart jumped into his throat as he did so. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure, sweetheart," Cinderella said, still ripping leaves.

Chad turned to Audrey. "I'll be out to help with the table in a minute. You can go ahead and start."

Audrey nodded, though suspicion ran across her features as she turned and walked from the kitchen.

"What do you want to talk about?" Cinderella asked. She started rinsing the lettuce that was in the large bowl. "Can you dice the boiled eggs too? They're already peeled." She nodded to a plate where half a dozen boiled eggs lay.

"Sure," he said quietly, moving to where the cutting board already lay out on the counter. He took out a knife and pulled the plate of eggs toward him. He began dicing the first one. "So, um, you remember the villain kids that came a few months ago, right?" He cringed inwardly as he spoke. That wasn't the bet thing to start off with.

"Yes," she answered and started adding small cherry tomatoes to the salad bowl. "What about them?"

"One of the girls...Evie, the one with the blue hair..." He was stalling. His courage was waning. He couldn't tell her. Couldn't discuss this with her. But he had to tell someone. He needed advice. Something. Anything. "She's pregnant," he said in a rush, shoving the words out of his mouth before he grew too afraid. "It's mine."

Silence met him, so he kept dicing the eggs, focusing on making them equal sizes. That was all. Maybe she hadn't heard. Maybe she wouldn't say anything.

But it was Audrey who spoke, just as another door in the house opened. "Evie's pregnant?" she asked.

Chad spun to face the kitchen doorway. Had he been talking that loud? Or had Audrey been eavesdropping outside the door?

"Good evening, Audrey." It was Chad's father, Charming. He had just gotten home and was standing right behind Audrey in the doorway now. "Smells wonderful, Cindy. Hi, son."

But Chad's mother didn't respond to her husband's compliment. She was frowning thoughtfully at Chad. "But...you're with Audrey..." she stated quietly.

"Yes, he is," Audrey snapped. "Chad. What do you mean Evie's pregnant?"

"Evie?" Charming frowned. "Evil Queen's daughter that's with you at school? She got pregnant? Can't say I'm surprised."

"Dad," Chad said quietly.

"Well?!" Audrey snapped at him again. "You said it's yours?"

"What?" Charming looked from Audrey to his son. "What is the meaning of this?"

Chad put down the knife before he could get the urge to throw something. That would not have ended well. "Evie's pregnant. It's mine." He swallowed. "It was before Audrey and I got together."

Audrey seemed to calm slightly at this, but her nostrils were still flared as she surveyed Chad, her hands on her hips. "Is she keeping it?"

"She wants you involved, doesn't she? Thinks she'll get your inheritance."

"Charming!" Cinderella scolded her husband. "I'm sure that is not what that girl had in mind. She's probably scared. Have some compassion." She turned to Chad. "Have you talked to her about what will happen?"

Chad pulled his shirt away from his chest, feeling like he was about to suffocate. "One thing at a time," he whispered. He shut his eyes. "I...I don't know. I don't know anything really."

"That's what she tried to tell you at lunch today," Audrey said with a frown.

Chad nodded. "I found her after lunch, while you were in the bathroom. She just told me and I told her I needed time. I just...I've only known for a few hours."

"Well," Charming said, inhaling and puffing his chest out. "We'll write a few conditions into your marriage license. Make it a contract instead. She won't be the queen of this district, and any inheritance that comes from you will go straight to the child."

Chad's head was spinning. He hadn't even heard much of what his father had just said except a very particular word. "Marriage? What? Wait...what?"

Charming stepped around Audrey and walked into the kitchen now. "You will, of course, be marrying this Evie girl."

"What? Why?" Chad snapped.

"You will not be having a bastard born into this family. A bastard can't rule. It has to be a legitimate heir."

"Don't call it that!" Chad said, ferocity in his voice as he addressed his father now. He had never spoken to him this way. "And you act like you won't have any other grandchildren. Those will be legitimate." He frowned and backtracked. "And who cares?"

Charming looked like he was going to say something else, but Cinderella placed a hand on his arm and gave him a sharp look. He didn't say anything else. She then looked at Chad and Audrey. "Why don't you two go find something to do while we finish with dinner? It will still be a few minutes before it's ready."

"We didn't finish setting the table," Audrey said quietly.

"That's alright. We'll do it," Cinderella said quickly. She waved a hand at them. "Come on, out you go. Your father likes carving the ham anyhow."

Chad and Audrey left the kitchen and walked to the other end of the dining room in silence. As soon as they were out in the foyer, they heard raised voices coming from the direction of the kitchen. The words were indistinguishable.

"Audrey..."

Audrey didn't look at him. She scurried up the stairs to the second floor of the mansion, and he followed. She didn't look at him or speak again until she had shut the door to his room firmly behind them.

"Audrey, I-"

Audrey whipped around to face him. "When were you going to tell me?"

"After I had absorbed it myself. I haven't exactly figured it all out in the few hours I've had," he said. In truth, he hadn't planned on telling her he knew until she had found out some other way. Possibly not until Evie made it public.

Audrey nodded quickly. "So, what are you going to do? Are you going to marry her like your father wants?"

"I...I don't know. I don't want to. That's not fair for anyone. Me, you, Evie, or the baby. Parents should be in love," he said.

This time she nodded a bit slower, calming a bit. "And what are you going to do otherwise? Like...is she going to keep it? She can't raise a baby."

"I don't know," Chad said. He sighed, trying to exhale all the thoughts in his head too. "I didn't get much time to discuss that with her. I mean, I assume since she's known for a week and decided to tell me..." He shrugged. "I don't think she's getting...getting..."

"An abortion," Audrey finished, her arms now crossed over her chest. "She can't. They're illegal in the United States of Auradon, remember?"

Chad's heart felt a little lighter when she said that. That's right; abortions were illegal. Of course, that didn't mean she couldn't get one illegally and in secret, but if that were the case, she definitely wouldn't have told him she were pregnant right before running off and getting rid of the child. He slowly nodded. "Right." He exhaled. "But, I mean, maybe she's going for adoption. I don't know. I need to talk to her."

Audrey nodded. "Yeah, maybe she'll choose adoption. But, what if she doesn't? She'll want you involved."

"I don't know that."

"But, won't you want to be involved?"

"I don't know." Chad ran a hand through his hair, trying to think. The questions she was asking were the same ones that had been running through his mind all day. He hadn't had answers to them right after school, and he still didn't have any answers to them now. He felt like he was being walked around in circles. He was getting dizzy.

"Why didn't you tell me when she told you?" Audrey asked, her voice quiet. "All our classes after lunch are together."

"I told you. I needed to absorb it. I still haven't. And...Evie asked me not to," he said. He moved to sit down on the edge of his bed with a sigh. "And even if she hadn't, I was afraid you'd be angry."

"Oh, I am. But not at you. Or her. Just that it's happening." Audrey shrugged and sighed solemnly. She moved to sit next to him. Taking his hand in hers, she laced their fingers. "No, I'm mad at your father. He wants you to marry someone you don't love. You should be in love." She looked at him pointedly as if waiting for him to agree with her.

He nodded. "I am in love. With you." He kissed her forehead, and she seemed to relax when he did so. "If Mom doesn't get through to him, it won't matter. He can't force me to marry her."

Audrey swallowed. "If you're sure." She laid her head on his shoulder. "You should talk to Evie. Find out where you both are."

"Please, don't tell anyone about Evie, Audrey," Chad said. "I don't think she wants a lot of people knowing."

"I won't. But she won't be able to hide it."

"I know, but it's not either of our places to tell before she's ready."

Audrey nodded against his shoulder. She was silent for a few solid minutes before Chad finally realized she was crying.

"Audrey?"

"Everything's going to change now, isn't it?" she cried, clinging to his shirt and hiding her face against his shoulder.

"It looks that way," Chad said. He turned his body more toward her and pulled her close to his chest, holding her close now. "But it'll be ok."

"How can it? I wanted your first child to be one we had together." She balled her hands into fists, scrunching the material of his shirt.

Chad's heart leapt, and he smiled. "We'll have one. Someday. Sometimes, things just don't go as planned though."

Audrey nodded. Then Chad's door opened.

Charming stood in the doorway. "Your mother says it's time for dinner," he grunted. "We'll be civil. We'll talk more after dinner though."

He turned and walked back down the hall, leaving the door open behind him. He hadn't made it sound like Chad had a choice. They would discuss the situation of Evie and the pregnancy after dinner. There was no getting out of it.


	5. Chapter 5

"Ok, so if we move this here..." Evie scribbled something down on her page and glanced at Doug to make sure their equations matched. They were currently working on math homework at the table in her room. Mal was gone somewhere with Ben, leaving Evie and Doug to their homework that Saturday morning. And honestly, Evie was grateful for the heavier load of homework they had received that weekend. It helped keep her mind off of Chad, whom she hadn't spoken to since lunch a whole week ago. He had been gone that weekend, but she had expected him to say something on Monday when he got back to school. But every time she saw him in the hallway or lunch courtyard, he avoided her gaze. She didn't like it.

"You forgot to carry the two down," Doug said, peering over at her notebook. He pointed to where she had indeed forgotten to write down the two. "What's up, Evie? You're not paying attention. Is it Chad?"

Evie frowned at him. She had forgiven him for telling Ms. Odie that he was the father of her baby and had since made it clear that doing so was unacceptable. But whenever he said Chad's name, it still sounded like he was upset. At what, she wasn't sure. She hadn't raised the topic of feelings since Doug had done so two weeks ago. It was as if there had been a silent agreement between them to not mention any feelings again. At least, not now. Evie definitely wasn't ready for that conversation.

But she looked at Doug's expression of concern and couldn't decide if it was concern out of friendship or more. She chose to believe it was just friendship. She sighed and laid down her pencil. She needed to trust him, and she did. She really did. But that meant talking about his least favorite subject: Chad. And she had been avoiding that as much as possible.

"Yes," she told him. "He hasn't said anything since I...since I told him. Shouldn't he have said something by now?"

Doug shrugged. "Maybe. Or maybe his silence is his way of telling you. Chad isn't one for...complicated things."

"It's not complicated though," Evie said. "He can be as involved as much as he wants. He doesn't even have to be at all if he doesn't want to be."

"Did you tell him that?"

Evie paused. "No. He said he needed time. But how much time does he need?"

Doug shrugged again, which was easily making Evie irritated. Doug was usually always one for giving advice and proposing possible solutions.

She reached across the table and shook his shoulder. "Hey." She sighed. "Doug, look at me. We don't have to talk about Chad."

Doug still avoided her eyes. "I want to help though. And if talking is the only way to helps..."

"It irritates you," Evie said shortly.

Doug threw his own pencil down as he finally raised his eyes to meet hers. "Of course it irritates me! How could it not? You're carrying his baby!"

"You act like I wanted this," Evie said with a frown, flinching a bit at his sudden outburst.

"Maybe you did," Doug said sharply. "Maybe you're hoping he'll want to be with you now that you're carrying his child."

"Doug!" Evie stared at him, confusion and anger both rising in her chest. "You know I don't feel that way about Chad. Not...not anymore."

Doug looked away.

"What is the matter with you?" Evie asked, getting to her feet. "You've been fine for the past two weeks."

Doug stood as well. "Maybe I'm just a better actor than I let on. Because I'm anything but fine."

"Why?" Evie snapped. "What's wrong with all of this other than me being scared out of my mind with the idea of raising a baby by myself?"

"That. Exactly that. Because you don't have to do this on your own, Evie! I thought I made that clear," Doug said.

"We're sixteen, Doug. I have to do this. You don't. You have high school and then college and your career. You can have any future you want."

Doug took a large step forward so he was directly in front of her now, the table no longer between them. He took her face in his hands. "You're right. I can have any future I want. And the future that I want is and will always be with you."

Evie was about to reply or maybe just gape at him. She wasn't entirely sure. But before she had even time to decide, he was kissing her. Actually kissing her. Adrenaline shot through her, a warm tingling sensation reaching all the way from the top of her head to her toes. Her insides seized with happiness, and her stomach did several backflips as she fisted her hands in his neatly ironed shirt and he drew her close to his body. Her whole body seemed to let out a breath it had been holding and she melted against him.

She would be lying if she said she didn't feel something for Doug. But she had been able to make up excuses up until this very moment. Everything from 'it's just a crush, it'll go away' to pregnancy hormones had crossed her mind. And she had successfully avoided her feelings for him. But now she couldn't explain away the millions of butterflies fluttering around in her stomach from his kiss.

Doug broke the kiss after a few moments and rested his forehead against hers. "You're smart, Evie," he said. "We both are. Which means we'll figure out a way to have the futures we want and raise a baby at the same time."

Evie pulled back a bit and opened her eyes. "Doug...I...we should just take it slow. Everything's so up in the air right now. Can we just...one thing at a time? Can this be the one thing today?" she asked, meaning their kiss that had left her feeling shaky but elated.

Doug nodded and stepped back. "Right. Slow." He nodded again.

Evie crossed her arms over her stomach and looked at the floor. Anywhere but at Doug's face. They shouldn't have kissed. She knew that immediately. He didn't know what he was getting into. Heck, she didn't even realize the full extent of how hard being a parent would be. And she had been discussing adoption with Mal for the past week once she had noticed Chad avoiding her. She didn't want to do it alone. Yes, she knew her friends would be behind her the entire time. But that wasn't the same. Sure, all of their parents had raised them while being single parents, but this was different. She was sixteen. It was her responsibility. Not Doug's.

She wasn't sure any of them could do this. Her. Chad. Doug. None of them realized how much a baby would change. Not for the first time, she had a brief thought of it just...going away. Of the problem disappearing. But she squeezed herself tighter and brought herself back to reality.

Getting involved with Doug would be a bad idea, even if she did have feelings for him. It was best for both of them if they didn't.

"Hey," Doug said softly, and he was suddenly close to her again. His fingers pressed under her chin so she would look up at him. "Why the face?" There was a pause. "Don't overthink this. Like you said, we can take it slow."

But Evie just shook her head, tears springing to her eyes. "Doug, I-"

A knock at the door cut her off. And as her attention turned to the door, the person outside it spoke.

"Hey, Evie. It's Chad...we need to talk."


	6. Chapter 6

Chad waited outside the door, his heart hammering as dread settled into his stomach. Would Evie even want to see him? He had avoided her for a week now, stalling for time as he mulled over the last conversation he had had with his father before leaving Charmington. Nearly every moment of the day was taken up by these thoughts. He couldn't even recall if he had done any of his homework that past week.

He had decided he could avoid the decision no longer by the time he woke up at dawn that morning. He couldn't sleep. It was almost pointless to try anymore. So, with a heavy heart, he had asked Audrey to meet him for breakfast. They had met just an hour ago at the outdoor cafe in town. He was sure any other customers around them or even passersby had been extremely confused if they had overheard any of his conversation with Audrey. He had explained that his father was ready to disown him as his heir and son if he didn't marry Evie. That also meant that refusing to marry her would result in Chad being kicked out of his house. He would be homeless except for his dorm at school, which was not open all year long to provide him with permanent housing. His father had given him no choice, and Charming had ignored Cinderella's pleas to reconsider. But his word was final. Chad had to marry Evie. And this was what Chad had explained to Audrey amid tears of hers and tears of his own. He had sobbed as he had explained to her that he would always love her. And that he didn't want to do this. But he had no choice. He couldn't be with Audrey any longer.

Now, standing outside Evie's door, Chad's eyes were dry. He had taken his time walking back to campus alone. He didn't want it to be evident that he had just broken up with Audrey if he could help it. He had to be calm and collected because he doubted Evie would be once he told her.

The door opened.

"Can we help you?" Doug asked icily.

Chad glanced over Doug's shoulder to where Evie was standing beside the table. Then he looked back at Doug. "I was actually hoping to talk to Evie. Alone."

"I know about the...situation," Doug said.

Chad nodded slowly. "Oh. Well, I'd still like to talk to her alone, if you don't mind." He tried to get past Doug, but Doug abruptly put an arm out to block him. Chad sighed. "It's important," he hissed through gritted teeth.

"I know."

"Doug," Evie said. "Let him in."

Doug moved aside only after a moment's hesitation, and Chad walked into the room. The door was shut behind him, and Doug moved over to the table that was laden in Calculus notes and textbooks. He picked up his pencil and began working. Well, not so much working as he was tracing over the problems he had already solved so it gave the illusion of him giving them privacy.

Chad chose to ignore this. This was probably the best he could ask for anyhow. He gave Evie a small, halfhearted smile and slipped his hands into his pockets. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm ok. Just some morning sickness," Evie said. She crossed her arms over her abdomen. "What about you?"

"I've been better."

Silence lapsed between them for a moment. Chad's heart was beating too fast. He couldn't do this. But he had to.

Chad swallowed and said slowly, "I want to be involved with the baby. And I...I think we should get married." He meant the first half. As for the latter half, however, the words had tasted like poison.

Both Evie and Doug stared at him. Evie with disbelief. Doug with horror. Doug had given up the act of pretending to do his homework at Chad's mention of marriage.

"I mean, don't you think so?" Chad said quickly. "This child should have married parents. He or she will be the heir to Charmington after all."

"But..." Evie glanced at Doug and back to Chad. "That's not a reason to get married. We're not in love."

"I know, but a bastard can't rule." He sighed. "I mean, that's what my father says anyway," he added quickly upon seeing the angry looks on their faces.

"Did your father put you up to the marriage idea too?" Doug snapped.

Evie waved a hand at him for quiet but didn't remove her gaze from Chad. After a moment, she whispered, "Well, did he?"

Chad looked away, pretending to suddenly find Evie's spiderweb print tights fascinating. "He says if I don't marry you, he'll disown me. And kick me out of the house. He says it was irresponsible to get you pregnant."

"Well, he's right!" Doug said, getting to his feet. "Evie told me you didn't use protection. Is that true?"

Chad flinched like Doug had hit him. He wasn't afraid of Doug by any means, but he knew he was right. He knew it had been a mistake. A big one. "Yes. It was a mistake. I should have. I didn't have any with me. I was just...caught up in the moment."

"Obviously," Doug snarled.

"But your dad can't disown you," Evie said calmly as if she hadn't heard anything Doug had said. "You're his only heir."

"He says it's better to have no heir at all than a disgrace to the family name for a son," Chad said quietly.

"So, he just gave you an ultimatum? Marry me or else?" Evie asked. She huffed. "What if I say no? What about Audrey?"

Chad looked back up at her at the mention of Audrey. "I broke up with her today. I've spent all week dreading this coming conversation of what I knew I had to do. That's why I've been avoiding you."

"But, don't you love her?"

"Of course, I love her," Chad said. "But, I don't have a choice."

"What if I say no?" Evie asked, repeating her earlier question.

Chad shrugged and dragged a hand through his hair. "Does it matter?"

Evie narrowed his eyes. "What did he say will happen if I say no?"

"He'll sue for custody."

"Are you kidding me?!" Doug shouted, balling his hands into fists. "She's the mother!"

"She's also a Villain Kid," Chad said pointedly, glaring at Doug. "While those of us here know her and the others and have no problem with them, there's plenty of people left in Auradon who are still wary of them. How do you think a judge will view the matter of a royal citizen of Auradon who's proven to be good versus a teenage girl from the Isle that has been here barely two or three months and gotten pregnant? It's a responsible adult the people trust against a girl they don't know much about. That makes them wary. Who do you think will win, Doug?" He huffed. "Look, I don't think he's right to do this at all. But I can't do anything about it."

"Tell him no!" Doug snapped.

"I did!"

"Stop it! Both of you!" Evie said sharply.

Chad looked at her, and his anger with Doug slowly faded. Evie looked like she was about to throw up or faint. He wasn't sure which. But her nails were digging into her arms where she was hugging herself tightly.

"I'm sorry," Chad said quietly. Beside him, Doug murmured his apology too.

"I just...this is too much," Evie said. She looked at Chad. "Neither one of us wants this."

"No," Chad said quietly. "But it would allow for the baby to be raised in a good home and have a good future."

"It can have a good future without all of your family's money," Doug grumbled but didn't raise his voice again.

Chad shot him a dirty look. "That wasn't my point." He turned back to Evie. "I meant we'd get to raise the baby together. No shuttling him or her back and forth on weekends. My mom would love babysitting. Or we could hire a nanny. That way it's not just us all the time. We'd have plenty of help. He or she could rule Charmington someday. And, Evie, you would live at the palace. You'd be well taken care of."

Evie seemed to ponder this for a moment, but then she shook her head. "I need to think. I just...I need to process all of this."

Chad nodded. "I understand. Take your time. I can at least pass the message back to my dad that I finally asked you."

Evie nodded stiffly. "Please...just go." When Doug seemed to brighten at this, she added, "You too, Doug. I just need to be alone right now."

Chad left the room first, though Doug was close on his heels. His backpack was open, and papers were sticking out of it from where he had haphazardly shoved all his homework into his bag and left. He didn't speak to Chad and passed him quickly.

Chad watched him go down the corridor nearly at jogging pace. He wasn't stupid. He knew Doug had feelings for Evie. Everyone knew that, really. And he mused that if Doug felt for Evie anything like he himself felt for Audrey, he would be in pain. He wished Doug hadn't been there for that discussion. That wasn't how he had wanted it to go. Well, frankly, he hadn't wanted it to happen regardless. But now everything seemed ten times more complicated. Instead of his father ruining the lives of two people, he was ruining everything for four. But, as his father had pointed out, this was his fault. All Chad's fault.


	7. Chapter 7

Evie spent the better part of the remainder of the day in thought. The pregnancy was causing problems for everyone now. It was even worse than she had imagined. Sure, she had expected it to affect Chad and herself; that was a given. But Doug and Audrey were both being hurt by it now too. And Chad was suffering in a different way. Evie had never met Chad's father, and now she wasn't sure she ever wanted to. What kind of man would give his son the choice of marriage or being disowned? And what kind of man demanded that she marry a boy she didn't love and threaten to sue for custody of her child if she didn't comply? All to keep the honor of the family name. It made her ill to think about it, but part of her wondered if it just wasn't more morning sickness making a second round that day.

She went to sleep for the night before Mal returned. When she woke up early the next morning, Mal was fast asleep in her bed. For this, Evie was grateful. She had made her decision, and if Mal had been awake, she wasn't sure she would be able to go through with it. Part of her thought process the previous day had involved internet searches for somewhere to get an abortion. The search had instead turned up many articles dated more than a decade previous, stating that it was Auradon law that abortions were illegal and no longer practiced in the realm. But that was okay; Evie knew where she could get an abortion for sure. And she knew how she could get there.

"Evie, do you know what time it is?" Ben asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and yawning. He had just opened his dorm room door in answer to her series of rapid knocks.

"Early," Evie stated blandly. "I couldn't sleep."

Ben just grunted and ran a hand through his hair. "Do you need something?" He yawned again.

"Yes," Evie said, and her lungs squeezed themselves together. She forced herself to take a deep breath before continuing. "Have you talked to Mal...about me? I don't know if she told you, but I've been...sick." She watched him and caught the half-second that his gaze flitted to her stomach before immediately returning to her eyes. She felt relief flood through her. This would make it easier if he already knew. "So, she told you."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ben said, but he was obviously feigning his ignorance.

Evie rolled her eyes and pulled him out into the corridor. She leaned forward to shut his door behind them so they were alone in the hall. "I know that you know. It's fine. I'm not mad. I actually...I came to ask a favor regarding it."

Ben raised an eyebrow and casually crossed his arms over his chest. He seemed to be waking up fully now that he had been on his feet for a few minutes. "Ok...?" he prompted her, uncertainty obvious in his voice.

She took another breath, her heart hammering. She had to play this right. He had to believe her. "I'm scared..." Ok, that part was true. So, this was only going to be a half-lie when she was done. "I...I can't do this, and I just...I want my mom." She swallowed. "I just need to talk to her. Hug her. Sit in our kitchen over brunch again. Like old times." Yes, she had to add more than just talking. He had to believe a video call wouldn't suffice. He had to believe going in person was the only way.

"Oh. You...want to go back to the Isle?" He frowned.

"Just for a few hours," Evie assured him.

"There's no one here you can talk to?" he asked. "I'm sure my mom would sit down with you and chat."

She shook her head. "It's not the same. I grew up with my mom. I need her for this. And I think she'd like to know in person about her grandchild. Don't you think?"

Ben slowly nodded. "Right. Of course. Look, you know that the coronation was televised. It...might be dangerous for you to go back. Are you sure?"

Evie nodded. "I'm sure. It won't be long. People don't even have to know I'm there."

"Alright," Ben said slowly as if he were trying to work out a piece he was missing as to why she shouldn't go. "When were you hoping to go?"

"Today."

Ben blinked.

Evie continued hurriedly. "It's Sunday. I don't want to miss school, and I don't want to wait another whole week."

Ben nodded. "Right, that makes sense. Ok, you can go. But! I'm having my driver escort you to and from your mother's home, ok?"

Evie grinned and nodded. "That's fine. Perfectly fine. Thank you."

"I'll call the driver, and you can meet him out front. Might take him a bit. He's usually off Sundays," Ben explained. He turned back to his door, but he paused and looked over his shoulder to smile at her. "I think it's good you're going to go talk to your mom. Hopefully, she can help. I know you must be terrified of what a baby is going to change, but I think it'll be a good one. Hang in there, ok?"

Evie nodded, feeling a pang of guilt shoot through her at his words. She waited until he had closed the door behind him and then turned to walk down the hallway. She wrapped her arms around her abdomen, thinking. How could Ben know it would be a good change? What if it was Mal who was pregnant and he was the one who had to deal with a baby born out of wedlock? Would he be telling her the same thing then? Plus, there was no way he knew about Chad's father's threats and forceful proposal of marriage. Ben was wrong; this baby was a curse, not a blessing. But, she was going to fix that. She had to. She couldn't let Doug and Audrey suffer for a mistake she and Chad had made together. And neither she nor Chad deserved to be forced into a marriage when they didn't love each other. But, if there was no pregnancy to worry about, Charming would drop all his threats, and everything could go back to normal. Right?

* * *

"I see you two are being productive," Ben said with a laugh as he strode into Mal's room a few hours later. He was referring to Jay and Carlos, both of whom were locked in a videogame match against each other. He walked over to Mal where she sat on her bed flicking through a magazine and occasionally glancing up to watch Jay and Carlos play their game.

Ben dropped a kiss onto the crown of Mal's head and sat beside her. "I bring gifts," he said and lifted the bag of takeout food to show her.

Mal laughed and took it from him. "From Tiana's?"

"Of course," Ben said. He smiled and leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers for a brief moment. Then he leaned back on the bed while she took the takeout containers from the bag. There was one for each of them. He sat up again when she handed him his container. He opened it and inhaled the scent of sweet cajun cooking. Ah, heaven. "So, are you anxious to hear about Evie's trip when she returns? Ask her how things have changed at home?"

Mal, who had just stuffed two shrimp in her mouth, frowned. She chewed and swallowed. "Trip? What trip?"

Ben blinked. "Oh, I thought she would have told you. She came to me this morning and asked to go see her mom on the Isle. Said she wanted to talk to her and tell her about the baby in person. I think it's to help her nerves too. A mother-daughter chat, I guess." He shrugged.

Jay and Carlos, who had just finished their current level on their game, had wandered over to inspect the delicious food. Mal smacked Jay's hand away when he tried to swipe a peppered shrimp from her box.

"Evie went home?" Carlos asked, leaning against the post of the bed. "Just to talk about the pregnancy? Couldn't she do that over the phone?"

Ben shrugged. "She said she wanted to do it in person."

"Are you sure she's safe going there? Did anyone go with her?" Mal asked.

"I sent her with my driver. He called me an hour ago to tell me they had arrived on the Isle at her mother's house. Though, it's odd," Ben said as he thoughtfully prodded a piece of chicken with his plastic fork. "He said there was a fence made of human bones and that it was more of a shack. I would have thought Evil Queen would have a mansion or something a little more spectacular."

"She does," Mal said. "It's a mansion in the woods, and...wait...a fence of bones? A shack? Whoa. Wait. Are you sure they stopped there? How did the driver call you from the Isle? There's no way to get through the barrier with a phone."

"There is if you have the right phone. Or, in this case, walkie-talkies," Ben said. "But, yeah, he said that's where they stopped. He called me as soon as she got out of the car."

Mal's blood was like ice. She looked at Jay and then to Carlos. They all had the same expression on their faces: terror. What was Evie doing visiting the voodoo man, Dr. Facilier?

"But..." Mal frowned, pressing her eyebrows together in confusion. "That's..." And then it clicked. She stood so fast that her box of takeout slid to the flood, spilling rice and shrimp across the carpet. "Oh my gosh," she breathed in horror. "She's going to get rid of the baby."


	8. Chapter 8

Evie sat in a straight-back chair, her knuckles white from how hard she was clenching the arm rests.

"And it will be as simple as that, my dear," Dr. Facilier said, ending his spiel with an added flourish of his long, bone-thin fingers. He shifted in his study chair behind a worn old desk. A stack of tarot cards sat on the edge of his desk near his elbow. He picked up a pair of human bone dice carved to resemble skull faces on each of the six sides and swapped them between his hands while he watched her.

Evie swallowed and forced herself to unclench her hands from the chair. She carefully folded them together in her lap. "That simple?" she mumbled.

She had arrived over an hour ago, and though Facilier had been shocked to see her, he had served her stale cookies and over-brewed tea. Then, after she had explained the nature of her visit, he had told her all of the glorious ways he could solve her problem. At a price, of course. Evie had expected this. This was why an old library book on ancient voodoo magic now sat at the bottom of her backpack. She had stolen it from Auradon Prep's archives in the school library to be his payment. He liked strange relics and tomes like that.

"Yes. Virtually painless," Facilier assured her. He laid the dice down and tapped his index fingers together. "I do hope this will cause misery for all those involved." He grinned a too-white smile.

"Yes," she mumbled without much thought. The simple answer was like sending a knife through her stomach. She felt like an abortion was the solution to this problem. But, at the same time, how could she know she was doing the right thing? Chad was consumed with worry over his father's threats. Doug surely didn't know what he was talking about when he had told her he would raise the child with her. When it came down to it, she had to be ready to raise this baby on her own if she had to. And she knew she couldn't do that.

"Are you ready? I will need to prepare the instruments. If only we had magic, this would be so much simpler." He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Shall I?"

Evie nodded quickly, afraid that if she hesitated, she may change her mind.

He stood and strode from the room.

Evie listened to his footsteps retreat down the hall from his study. A moment later, she heard the clang of metal and water running. A shiver wrapped around her spine and wouldn't let go. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, and her hands slid closer to her middle where the tiny being grew inside her. And she was about to end that life; snuff it out as easily as she would a candle. It was so fragile. What was she doing? Growing up, her idea of the perfect life had been to marry a prince and have multiple sons and daughters. Sure, this was a long shot having grown up on the Isle and there being a massive shortage of princes walking around, but she had always dreamed that someday, that would change. Then it had. She had gone to Auradon. She had met a prince. So, the timing wasn't great; she was sixteen. So, the situation sucked; she and Chad weren't in love but were being coerced into marriage. None of it resembled her plan for her life. But, that didn't make the baby any less real or important. It was the child she had wanted someday. The circumstances were just...difficult. And she was panicking. Was it possible that, despite such circumstances, she could do this even if she had to do it alone? After all, once this was done, it could never be undone. She had to live with her decision one way or another.

Down the hall, the water shut off. Evie sprang to her feet, her mind suddenly made up. She snatched up her backpack and bolted for the door. Once outside in the sunlight, she ran through the gate of human leg bones and threw herself into the backseat of Ben's car.

"Drive!" she told the man in the front seat.

"What?" The driver blinked at her, startled by her sudden appearance. "Where to, miss?"

"The other side of the Isle. The forest," she said, and she pointed over his shoulder out the windshield. "Over there. And step on it."

Once they were back on the streets of the Isle, safely in the car, Evie collapsed against her seat. The more distance she put between herself and Dr. Facilier, the better she felt. How could she have thought that an abortion was the answer to her problems? Her panic had gotten the best of her. And now that she had made the choice to leave Facilier's shack, that panic was creeping back in. Could she raise the child? Or should she consider adoption?

"Follow the path through the woods," she told the driver once they had reached the edge of the woods. "Actually, no. This is good. I'll walk from here." She jumped out as soon as the car had stopped.

It didn't take long to travel the path to her old home. By the time she reached the mansion, the car was no longer visible, but she knew it wasn't far beyond her sight. The mansion appeared just as it had on her last day on the Isle: falling apart, paint peeling, one of the gargoyles by the front porch missing its head. It felt foreign and familiar at the same time.

She walked forward, taking the steps up the porch slowly. She had thought that as long as she was on the Isle, she might as well do the thing she had told Ben she would do. But visiting her mother almost seemed harder than talking to Dr. Facilier now. What would her mother say? Would her mother have told her to get the abortion? Would her mother even be happy to see her after dismissing her evil heritage on national television at Ben's coronation?

She raised a hand to knock on the door. A moment passed, and then it opened.

"Evie!" Evil Queen drew her daughter into a tight hug and then promptly released her. She studied her face and put her hands on her hips. "Well, how is my little evil dumpling?"

Evie blinked at her. "I...you're not angry at me?"

"For what, darling? The fiasco at the coronation?" She waved a hand to dismiss Evie's concern. "Maleficent's plans to rescue us from this wretched place are always falling through. I expected no different this time. And I had no doubt that you might decide to stay. After all, princes live in Auradon." She winked. "I was just disappointed at the thought of never seeing my darling again."

Relief spread through Evie as rapidly as hot cocoa. She launched herself into her mother's arms and hugged her. "I'm so sorry. I missed you."

"I've missed you too, Evie. Come now, let's have something to eat. Are you hungry?"

Evie nodded, wiping at the tears that had started forming in the corners of her eyes. She followed her mother into the house, closing the door behind her.

A few minutes later, as Evil Queen busied herself making sandwiches from moldy bread and hardened cheese and very questionable meat, Evie squirmed at the kitchen table. How was she going to tell her mother that she was pregnant? What would she think?

"So, have you met any princes yet?" Evil Queen asked, returning to the table with a plate of sandwich halves.

Evie reached for one of the halves and idly picked a spot of mold off the top slice of bread before answering. "Yes," she mumbled.

"Oh? And what are they like? Broken any hearts yet? Done anything...mischievous?" Her mother's eyes sparkled in amusement as she spoke.

Evie swallowed. Her mother had given her the opening she needed. But, was she brave enough to take it? "Actually..." She picked another fleck of mold off her sandwich. Then she laid it back on the plate and sighed. "Mom," she said, her gaze focused wholly on the platter of sandwiches. "I'm pregnant."

When silence followed, Evie hesitated before finally looking up. She just had the chance to catch the expression of delighted shock on her mother's face before the sound of the front door banging open made her jump to her feet in alarm. Before she could ask her mother if she was expecting company or think of how to defend herself in the case it was an angry Isle citizen coming after her for deserting her evil roots, the intruder entered the kitchen.


	9. Chapter 9

"Tell me you didn't do it." Chad walked straight over to Evie and took her face in his hands. "Evie," he said, his voice pleading, broken. The dampness on his eyelashes betrayed the fact that he had been crying. "Evie, tell me you didn't abort our baby."

"I..." Evie's throat closed up, and her mouth refused to form words. How was he here? Wait, it didn't matter. He was here! He was concerned about the baby. Their baby. He had been crying. She had upset him. The thoughts fell into place like dominoes: slowly, and then all at once with nearly audible clicks as they dropped into her consciousness.

"Evie," Chad whispered. A muscle flexed in his neck. Tension. Tears were rising in his eyes. "Please, no."

"I didn't," Evie said quietly. "I couldn't do it."

Chad's shoulders instantly relaxed, and he drew her into a tight hug. "You're not in this alone," he whispered into her hair. "This is our baby. I want to make these decisions together."

Evie nodded stiffly and waited until he released her to speak. "How are you here?"

"Ben told me," Chad said. He hadn't stepped back very far, and his hand rested on her waist. He rubbed his thumb in a circle on her hip.

"But, how did Ben know?" Evie asked.

"Long story, but let's just say Mal figured out what you were up to."

Evie nodded.

Evil Queen cleared her throat, and Evie snapped to attention.

"Mom, this is Chad. He's the...he's, uh, the father," she said.

"I gathered that," Evil Queen said, rising to her feet. Her gaze swept over Chad from head to toe, as if analyzing him for imperfections and calculating his worth in relation to her daughter. "You're a prince?"

"Yes, ma'am," Chad said. "Cinderella and Prince Charming are my parents."

"Wonderful!" Evil Queen chirped. She clapped Chad on the shoulder. "My grandchild will be full-blooded royalty!" She grinned. But then it faltered as she turned to Evie. Her hand slid from Chad's shoulder. "He said you were going to abort the child?"

"I panicked," Evie told her in a voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't know what else to do. I can't do this alone."

"You're not going to," Chad said. He took a measured step back from her and lowered himself to one knee.

"Chad." Evie shook her head in warning. He couldn't be serious. He wouldn't do that. Not here. Not now. Not...ever. They had agreed...they weren't in love.

He reached into the inside chest pocket of his blazer. When he withdrew his hand, a gleaming diamond ring was pinched between his thumb and index finger. "Evie, will you marry me?"

Evie's stomach turned over. She hated the jolt of adrenaline and excitement that rushed through her at his words. She didn't love him. Did she? Perhaps, the more important question was could she love him? She didn't want Chad to be disowned. And she didn't want to raise a child on her own or in a fractured family or push the responsibility onto Doug, who didn't deserve it. Marriage did seem like the best option. So, could she grow to love Chad? Honestly, with how little time they had known each other, she hadn't even gotten the chance to try.

"Yes," Evie said after reasoning with herself to say such a simple word.

Chad looked surprised but relieved. He slid the ring onto her left hand and got to his feet.

Behind them, Evil Queen clapped her hands together. "Splendid! Truly splendid! Evie, darling, I'm so proud of you. A baby and a prince all in one day." She hugged her daughter to her side, beaming. "Well then, shall we eat and get to know each other?"

* * *

An hour later, Evie and Chad left the mansion. Evil Queen had asked Chad a slew of questions about himself while he and Evie had nibbled politely on the old sandwiches.

"You shouldn't have done that," Evie said as she walked beside him on the forest path that led back toward the edge of the trees.

"What? Propose?" Chad asked, his hands in his pockets. "No, I should have done it when my father first told me to. If I had, you wouldn't have been here today. You wouldn't have thought an abortion was the answer."

Evie grabbed his arm to stop him, and she moved to stand in front of him. "Because it would have solved the problem! You could be with Audrey and forget this ever happened."

"You think I could just forget that I was supposed to be a father? You think I wouldn't go the rest of my life blaming my father for his threats and myself for getting you pregnant in the first place? No, I have to do this. I have to help raise this child."

"Because you feel guilty? Because your father is forcing you to?" Evie snapped. "That's not a good reason. That's hell on earth. And if that's why you proposed today, then I don't want it." She spun on her heel to march off, but Chad grabbed her elbow and turned her back to him.

"Yes, I feel guilty. For causing this problem for everyone, including you. But that's not the reason I proposed."

"Then what is the reason?" Evie asked, her words like ice.

"Because I don't want this baby growing up without a father. I want to be involved. And I want more than weekends when I have custody or something. I want a life with a family and a marriage. And I am making this choice on my own. My father has amended his threats at my mother's...coercion."

Evie raised an eyebrow.

"She threatened to leave him if he sent me away," Chad explained. "So, he told me he wouldn't disown me. But to think long and hard about what a child out of wedlock would mean for my future."

"So, you're marrying me to save your reputation."

Again, Chad had to pull Evie back when she tried to walk away. "It's not only about my reputation. It's about yours. And the baby's. What do you think will happen to a villain kid who is a teenage mother? You're already at a disadvantage socially and academically from being on the Isle your whole life. Your mother's reputation precedes you. What job will you get without connections? I have them. I have money. You'll never want for anything, Evie. And the baby...have you ever heard of someone in Auradon having divorced parents? No? It's not that they're illegal or anything. But, they're rare. And children born out of wedlock? They're looked down upon just like you were when you got here. What kind of future can our child look forward to if they have a disgraced prince and villain-raised vixen for parents? Please, Evie, think about this. I have. And it's the best option for all three of us."

Evie chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, mulling over his words. Yes, the baby would already make life infinitely harder for herself. How could she go to college for both fashion design and chemistry if she was caring for a child all of the time? And, she hadn't even considered the baby's future. From what Chad said, it sounded as if the child would be treated like a permanent villain kid if she and Chad weren't married.

She twisted the engagement ring around on her finger. "What about Audrey?"

Chad swallowed. "When I found out you might be about to abort the baby, I quickly figured out what is most important to me. I do love her, but I have to let her go."

"That isn't fair to you," Evie whispered to the trees.

"I'm not talking about what's fair. I blew any chance of 'fair' when I chose not to use protection with you. This is what I deserve, and I will make the most of it." Chad stepped closer to her. "I know we aren't in love now, Evie, but there was a connection between us when you first got here. Is that truly gone?"

Evie looked up at him and slowly shook her head honestly. "No."

"Then, can we try...for our own sake and for this baby?" He pressed his hand over her abdomen. "I don't want us to be miserable. Perhaps, we could grow to love each other. We have to try."

Evie nodded, again very slowly. "We can try."

A small smile curved his lips, and he dropped his hand to his side. As they resumed walking, he took her hand and entwined their fingers.

As they drew close to the edge of the forest, Chad's grip on her hand tightened. Evie glanced up at him, but he was staring forcefully ahead. She followed his gaze and saw that the car Ben had loaned her to get to the Isle was gone. In its place was a baby blue limo. Prince Charming stood against the rear door, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Chad?" Evie questioned.

"Who do you think drove me here?" Chad told her through gritted teeth.

"Wait." Evie halted. They were still slightly out of sight in the trees. Charming hadn't spotted them yet. "Was all of that back there a lie? Is he still forcing you into this?"

"No, none of it was a lie. He's not forcing me. But I'm still angry with him. If he hadn't threatened us both with the marriage, you wouldn't have run here to get an abortion. I thought I was going to throw up in the car on the way over. And he was just sitting there so calmly as if he didn't give a damn if you aborted his first grandchild or not. So yeah, I'm angry with him. Try to place nice though. He is your future father-in-law."


	10. Chapter 10

The next month passed in a blur of harsh emotions. Upon returning from the Isle, Charming had driven Chad and Evie directly to Auradon's main hospital. This was where Dr. Sweet worked and where Evie had kept putting off making an appointment to go see him. He had done a basic examination and let her and Chad listen to the baby's heartbeat.

After that, between the ring on Evie's hand and her slowly growing belly bump, the students at Auradon Prep had begun to talk. Chad had suggested Evie wear the ring and be open about everything. It was no longer the time for secrecy. People would have found out when Evie started showing more and more, so Chad had suggested that it was better to get everyone used to the idea sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, this had also meant telling Audrey and Doug the news about the engagement. The look of betrayal on Doug's face had burned in Evie's memory for days. He hadn't spoken a word to her since then.

"Hey, you ok? Food's almost done," Chad said.

Evie blinked and looked up from the countertop. They were in the dorm kitchen alone. Chad had insisted on cooking for Evie at least once a day now, which typically meant dinnertime. Her pregnancy diet couldn't consist of junk food and school cafeteria food alone. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking."

"About?" Chad prompted, turning back to the stovetop where he was cooking bell peppers, onions, and chicken in a pan together. The smooth, spicy scent made Evie's stomach grumble in excitement.

"The baby," Evie lied. Well, it was only a half-lie. She had been thinking about the baby in a roundabout way. It seemed like she did that more and more everyday since hearing its heartbeat in Dr. Sweet's tiny office. There was a tiny being inside her depending on her to be a responsible mommy, and it seemed to influence every one of her decisions. Like whether or not to go bowling with her friends; she had elected to rest. The same was true whenever she wanted to eat any type of seafood or have a latte after school with Mal; these things were dangerous to have while pregnant, and now that Evie had decided to keep the baby, she didn't want anything happening to it.

But, right then, her thoughts had not been on food or other pregnancy needs. She had been mulling over what Mal kept telling her at least every other day now: 'If you're unhappy now, how will you feel in ten years?'

Evie had confessed to Mal that the harder she tried to make things work with Chad, the more impossible it seemed. They spent nearly every lunch together. They had gone on dinner dates and carriage rides and other wonderfully romantic stuff. But every time, Evie had wished she had been somewhere else or, at least, on the date with someone else. It wasn't that Chad was unappealing or anything. But, Evie could feel it without a doubt in her heart that she and Chad simply weren't meant to be together. Whatever they had had when she first arrived in Auradon, that was all it was ever meant to be. But, at the same time, the longer she waited, the harder it became to tell him she wanted to break off the engagement. Despite all the advantages to marrying a prince, Evie knew she would be happier as a single mother than married to Chad. And they both deserved happiness more than they needed high-status reputations.

"Alright, fajitas are done," Chad said, grinning. He carried over several plates to the central island of the kitchen. One plate was laden with the chicken, onion, and pepper mixture. Another held a mountain each of rice and refried beans. And the last plate was stacked high with tortillas.

"I think you made way too much," Evie said, staring at all the food. "You said you already ate, but are you sure you don't want some?"

Chad shook his head. "All for you. I'm not much on fajitas and the like. But, hey, at least your cravings aren't super bizarre." He smiled. "Whatever you don't finish, we can always put in the fridge." He turned away again and retrieved an empty plate, a fork, and a glass of water. He set them in front of her.

"Thanks," Evie mumbled. She watched him and opened her mouth to speak, ready to push out the questions that she had been containing for so long surrounding their relationship and future.

But a knock came from the doorway, and both of them looked over.

Doug stood there. "Can I come in?"

Chad glanced at Evie. He nodded. "Yeah, I was just about to go anyway." He picked up his blazer and slid it on before leaving.

"I didn't mean to make him leave," Doug said softly, walking over to the island and pulling up a chair to sit across from her.

Evie shrugged a shoulder. "He's actually somewhat suffocating when he hovers like that." She instantly wished she hadn't said it, but she hadn't spoken to Doug in a month and it was sometimes impossible to do anything but tell him her honest thoughts.

The corner of Doug's mouth twitched as if in an effort to grin, but he didn't let it go past that singular movement. "I just...I wanted to talk to you, Evie. Please, eat. I want to do most of the talking. Just listen. Please."

Evie raised an eyebrow and pulled the plates closer to her to begin making her first fajita. "Fine, I'm listening."

"I've been a jerk," Doug said.

Evie made a soft sound of confirmation in her throat but didn't elaborate on it. She was concentrating on spreading beans on her fajita.

"I shouldn't have ignored you just because I was upset about you and Chad getting engaged." Doug twisted his watch around his wrist nervously. "If that's what you want and what you think is best for you and the baby and everyone, then I support you one-hundred percent. I just...I just want you to be happy, even if that means I have to put my own feelings aside."

Evie chewed her bite of fajita and swallowed. "I think it may be what's easiest," she said slowly, choosing her words deliberately.

"Meaning?" Doug prompted her.

"Meaning that marrying Chad may be convenient. It may even be the best choice, considering money and living arrangements and custody."

"But?"

"But, it's not...necessarily...what I want." Evie stared at her fajita as she said this, speaking directly to a piece of chicken that was poking out the end of it.

"And what do you want?" Doug asked. He leaned forward slightly, watching her.

"To be happy." Tears pricked her eyes, and she blinked quickly to force them away.

Doug reached for her hand and squeezed her fingers lightly. "You deserve to be happy. What would make you happy?"

"I don't know," Evie said. She watched Doug's thumb rub circles on the back of her knuckles for a moment and then withdrew her hand. "Doug, we can't...we can't get involved right now."

"Right now?" Doug asked, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, I thought you had decided on us taking it slow. But then the thing with Chad...I just assumed you changed your mind to us not ever happening."

"No," Evie said and exhaled heavily. "That's not...I...right now, I need to think and talk to Chad. You're right; I deserve to be happy, which means he does too. And I think that being with Audrey makes him happy. He hasn't mentioned her to me in the past month, and I feel like he's just locked it all up inside so he won't feel it anymore. But he loves her; I know it. So...I need to talk to him about the engagement and custody and all of that stuff."

"Hey. One thing at a time, Evie," Doug said. "You have roughly six months to figure out custody arrangements. And the engagement...his father isn't still threatening to sue if you refuse now, is he?"

Evie shook her head. "No, he's letting Chad make or break his future now as he chooses. At least, that's the wording I've heard him use once. So, it's ok."

"And...us?" Doug asked softly.

"Slow," Evie asked, picking her fajita up again to resume eating. "Not never."

Doug smiled, seemingly relieved. "Glad to hear it. Sorry to keep you from eating."

As he made to get up, Evie motioned for him to remain seating. She finished chewing her bite and swallowed. "I haven't seen you in a month. You're not going anywhere, you dope."

Doug laughed and sat back down. "Anything you say, princess."


	11. Chapter 11

"Let me get this straight," Charming said slowly. His fingers worked divots into his temples as he sighed. He looked up at Chad who stood in front of his father's desk in his private study. "In the past week, Evie broke off your engagement, and you got engaged to Audrey. Are you sound of mind at all, Chad?"

This was the first time that Chad had been home since his devastating dinner with Audrey and his parents over a month ago. He was already regretting coming home for the weekend, but he had thought it best to give his father the news in person. It had been just a little over a week since Doug had found Chad and Evie in the kitchen and rekindled his friendship with Evie. Chad wasn't dumb though; he knew it was more than friendship, and that had been made immediately clear to him the next morning when Evie had broken off their engagement. And honestly, Chad had felt relieved. A weight had been lifted, and he had wasted no time in tracking down Audrey and swooping her into a kiss he could still feel on his lips even now. After that, everything had fallen into place in his mind. He had lost Audrey for a short amount of time, but even that had been too long for him. He never wanted to part from her again. So, he had reasoned that there was no reason to put off the inevitable. He had proposed. Audrey had accepted. And now, his father was yelling at him for it.

Chad had zoned out after his father's initial suggestion that he was insane. Charming had stood up at some point and was now gesturing wildly while ranting. Chad blinked and tried to focus.

"-out of your mind! This family..." Charming drew a deep breath like a bullfrog. "This family has a reputation to uphold, and I told you that you could ruin your life if you so desired, but I don't think you understand the gravity of this! Two engagements in the same month! A love child! Now, a wedding to plan! Chad..." Charming swallowed and walked around his desk. He gripped Chad's shoulders and held him at arm's length.

For a moment, Chad thought his father might throw him into the wall in his fury. But then Charming's grip slackened, and he sighed.

"I understand you are in love," Charming said slowly. "But why on earth would you do this all at once? Do you realize how it looks?"

"I look like a whore," Chad stated blandly. He didn't need his father to tell him that. He had already considered it. He looked as if he went through girls like the plague went through bodies. But he also didn't care how it looked; he just cared how it felt. And how it felt was that he was in love with Audrey, friends with Evie, and soon to be a father to a son or daughter. He knew exactly what he wanted. To others, it would look rash. To him, it made sense.

Charming clenched his jaw and dropped his hands from Chad's shoulders. "Yes, that is one way of saying it. I just don't want you to ruin everything you've worked toward. You still have a few months left until you graduate. I thought you wanted to try for a tourney scholarship to Auradon State. How will you play tourney, go to college, take care of a baby, and nurture a brand new marriage at the same time, Chad?"

Chad opened his mouth to respond, but his cell phone began to ring from his pocket at the same moment. He huffed and reached down to send the call to voicemail without looking at the screen. He kept his eyes on his father. "I'll manage. Mom said she would help with the baby."

"And what if she can't one day when you have a game or some other obligation? At the end of the day, the baby is your responsibility, not your mother's," Charming said stiffly.

"I know that. I just-" Chad growled when his cell phone rang again. Honestly, who was calling him? Texting was so much easier. Couldn't they wait a damn minute? He sent it to voicemail again. "I just mean that some way, somehow, I will find a way to do all the necessary things."

"A person can only stretch themselves so thin, Chad. Why marry Audrey now? Being married is very different than just dating. Does Audrey realize she will be a step-mother? How does she feel about that?"

"She's actually been helping Evie this past week. She's said she's fine helping with the baby."

"But does she grasp that this is for life, Chad? For life. Your relationship to Evie doesn't go away once the baby is born."

Chad sighed. "I don't feel anything for Evie though. Audrey understands that what I felt for Evie is over and that the engagement was out of duty, not love."

"Yes, but that's not what I meant. She will see Evie every time she drops the child off for time with you. That child, who you will show affection toward, will never biologically be hers. She will have to look at that child and know it is evidence of your affections for another woman, that it is the product of you sleeping with another woman other than her. She may resent you or the child, who certainly does not deserve it. You may be forced to make a choice between your marriage and your child because you cannot have both in your life without also harming both." He paused and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, he spoke softer. "Chad, have you considered just leaving the child with Evie and stepping away? We have the money for child support. I would not blame you for choosing to walk away. If you really love Audrey, it may be best."

This time when Chad's phone rang, he was too taken aback to stop it at first. After a moment, his fingers found the button to send the call to voicemail for the third time. His eyes never left his father's face. A face of sudden honesty...brokenness...guilt...shame. A face of personal experience.

Chad's chest felt as if it were suddenly being squeezed by a rope. The air left his lungs. His head spun. "Dad...did you cheat on Mom?"

The clock on Charming's bookshelf ticked off ten whole seconds before Charming nodded. He swallowed. "You were just a few months old. The affair resulted in a pregnancy. The baby was born when you had just turned one year old. Your mother found out. She wanted to try to make our marriage still work, but it hurt her too much. The betrayal...the betrayal from both of us...she couldn't stomach it. So, I stopped seeing my daughter after a year. I had to choose your mother. She simply mattered more. I regret it. But, had I chosen the opposite, I would still regret it. I wanted both, but it wasn't possible."

Chad swallowed, his throat dry. He didn't know where to look. He needed to sit. His knees were losing feeling as if they might collapse from beneath him at any moment.

"I just don't want you to make the same mistake. But, I'm afraid you already have," Charming said.

Chad shook his head. "No, I haven't. You cheated," he said. It came out harsher than he meant to, but he couldn't have formed the words any other way. All his life, he had thought his parents had had the perfect marriage from day one. Now, that image was destroyed. "You cheated on Mom. Of course she would feel that way toward the child. But I didn't cheat. This is different. It's very different."

"I'm just asking you to be cautious of these decisions. It is best to make the decision now about the child. It makes it so much harder to say goodbye once you have already held them."

Chad shook his head again, wanting to shake the memory of this conversation from his mind. Tears pricked at his eyes. "It's not the same, Dad. I'm not you. This isn't history repeating itself. I didn't cheat. Don't try to make this the same."

Charming nodded. "I'm just concerned that Audrey may think about the child similarly."

"No, she won't. She..." Chad fought to draw breath, fought not to cry in front of his father. "She bought the baby socks and a pacifier this week. Please, it's not the same. Don't try to convince me I'll have to choose when you don't know that."

Instead of speaking, Charming stepped forward and did something Chad couldn't remember him doing in the past decade. He hugged him. Tightly. As if trying to squeeze all the sorrow out his son and absorb that pain into his own body. "I should have never told you. I wanted to forget it all the moment I cheated. I've spent the last seventeen years trying to atone for it."

Chad's phone began ringing again, and he pulled out of his father's embrace. He finally withdrew it form his pocket. It was Ben calling. He sent it to voicemail once more.

"Chad, call him back," Charming said.

"No." Chad held his phone at his side. "You said you cheated and that I have a half-sister. I'm not done talking about this. Who is she? Have I met her?" He paused. "Shit, do I go to school with her?"

Charming sighed and draw a hand through his hair. "Chad. Please, let it go. I don't want your mother knowing I told you about this either. Call Ben back."

"No." Chad was instantly angry as if a switch had been flipped inside him. How hard were these questions to answer? All he needed was a name. He knew it was a painful memory for his father, but if he had a sibling, even a half-sibling, he deserved to know. "Please, who is she?"

"Chad."

But suddenly, the puzzle pieces pressed into place as if he had just solved a difficult chemistry equation. It had been a betrayal from both parties toward his mother. That meant the woman had been someone close to his mother. And the baby was a year younger than him. Auradon was a place of happy endings. It was rare for someone to have separated parents. It was even rarer to not know one's parent or parents at all.

So, only one person he knew fit that description. And that person was a girl. And that girl was a grade below him. And an affair with that girl's mother would have been a worse blow to his mother than any other. And that person...that girl...

"It's Jane," he whispered.

This time when Ben rang for the fifth time, Chad answered it. Charming's expression had confirmed Chad's guess. And that confirmation was all he needed to fit the rest of the pieces together. He had known Jane since kindergarten. At least, that was his earliest memory of her. He had been nice to her, always felt a bit bad for her because her father was never around and no one knew who it was. It was just her and her mother, Fairy Godmother - the same Fairy Godmother that had helped his mother meet his father in the first place. What horrid betrayal. But yes, it made sense. It made sense that Jane had always turned down invitations to Chad's birthday parties at the Charming palace. It made sense why if he and Jane were talking, even in a group of friends, and Cinderella or Charming came over to congratulate him on a tourney game, she would suddenly disappear. Because she knew. She had always known that Charming was her father.

"What?" Chad barked at Ben through the phone. "I told you I went home this weekend."

"Chad," Ben said, and his tone instantly made Chad regret the way he had spoken to his best friend. "You need to come back to Auradon City. Now."

"Why? What happened?" Chad swallowed and gripped one of the armchairs in the study, leaning against it for support. He couldn't take any more drama in one night, but he could tell that whatever warranted endless calls from Ben was not going to end with good news.

"Evie's gone into a coma. They're not sure either of them will make it."

"Either of them," Chad repeated. It felt as if his thoughts were made of molasses. Either of them...Evie...the baby...

Darkness closed in from the edges of Chad's vision, and his knees buckled. He pitched forward, the phone still clutched to his ear even as his father caught him before he hit the ground. And he heard Ben say one more string of words: "Chad. Are you there? Evie's dying. Come home. Now." Then the phone slipped from his hand. He blacked out before it even hit the ground.


	12. Chapter 12

The drive back to Auradon City took just over an hour. After being revived, Chad had been escorted to his father's car. Lying in the back seat, he had kept ice pressed to his throbbing head as he fought back images of Evie dying somewhere in a hospital in Auradon. By the time they arrived at the hospital, Chad was aching to jump from the car and find out what was going on.

"Chad!" Ben ran up to Chad and Charming as soon as the two entered the hospital. Chad vaguely remembered hearing his dad on the phone with Ben during the car ride to let him know when they would arrive.

"Hey, Ben," Chad said. "What's going on? How is Evie dying? You said she's in a coma."

Ben nodded and motioned for the pair to follow him down a corridor. "Mal found her that way. Evie said she was taking a nap, and then Mal said she couldn't wake her the next morning. Dr. Sweet's been examining her. He'll be able to better explain when he has a diagnosis."

Ben led them into a small room. Plush olive green chairs bordered the walls. A coffee pot that was half full sat on a counter. There was also a tray of cookies for the waiting room guests. A TV hung in one corner of the room, but it had been muted.

Mal, Jay, Carlos, Jane, and Doug were the only other occupants of the room. The five sat huddled in the corner closest to the counter with the coffee and cookies. They had brought their chairs around a small table, which was laden with small cups of half-drank coffee and napkins with cookie crumbs. One empty chair sat among them, which Chad assumed was Ben's vacated seat.

Ben dragged another chair over to the group for Chad.

"Oh, I'm not staying, Ben," Charming said when Ben moved to get a second chair.

Ben raised an eyebrow, but Chad didn't even question his father's decision. It was Jane. That was why his father was leaving. It was either too painful to be around her or he assumed that somehow Cinderella would find out he had spent time with her. Or both.

Once Charming had left the room, Ben and Chad took the empty seats in the now complete circle. No one spoke. Mal sipped her coffee while Ben rubbed her knee lightly in comfort. Jay twisted his beanie between his hands as if he were trying to wring all of his worry from it. Jane murmured something to Carlos and then stood, taking his styrofoam cup with her to refill it at the counter. Doug was staring at a random spot on the floor, his eyes glazed over. A biology textbook sat perched on his knee, but it was closed, a pencil wedged between its pages to mark his place.

Chad wished someone would speak. It felt as if he were at a funeral, and he desperately hoped that wasn't what it was about to turn into. But no one was speaking, and Ben had said that Dr. Sweet would be able to better explain.

"So, what-" Chad began. He needed information - anything the group could supply to help him make sense of the situation.

"We don't know," Doug snapped instantly before Chad could finish forming the words of his question. Then he sighed and slid his gaze to Chad's face. This time, his tone was softer, apologetic. "We don't know what happened. Dr. Sweet is still figuring it out. He said he would let us know when he knows anything."

Chad gave a short nod. He understood Doug's anger and stress regarding the situation. If Audrey had been the one in the coma, Chad would have been in the same mood. Granted, that didn't mean he wasn't worried about Evie. But...Evie meant something different to him than she did to Doug. Chad's concern for Evie came from friendship and her being the mother of his child. Any trauma she underwent also happened to the child technically. For Doug, however, Evie obviously meant something much more. She could be his future - all of it.

Silence settled over them again. Jane returned to her seat and pressed the coffee cup into Carlos's hand.

Chad didn't even want to attempt to imagine how Mal, Jay, and Carlos were feeling at the moment. The four friends had been together for so long and had gone through so much together. Losing Evie could shatter them.

"Do you want any coffee, Chad?" Jane asked quietly. It wasn't necessary to speak much louder than a whisper. Doing so penetrated the room like canon fire.

Chad met her gaze and shook his head. "No, thanks."

She nodded and looked away, returning her attention to Carlos. But Chad's gaze lingered. There was something there. Something that if he looked hard enough, he could see a bit of his father in her face. Their father.

Instantly, anger sparked in Chad's chest. Jane knew about her biological father. She knew she and Chad were half-siblings. It just made sense. So, how could she sit there and not say anything? How could she have kept it a secret for all these years? They were both the only children in their families. Chad had always craved a sibling. Didn't Jane want the same? How could she not want that if she knew she actually had a brother?

He knew he wouldn't be able to overlook it. He would have to say something to her when the time was right. When he could talk to her alone. He had to know why he had been the only one kept in the dark his entire life.

Movement at the doorway to the waiting room caught his eye and tore him from his thoughts. The others in the group looked up as well as Dr. Sweet entered.

Dr. Sweet was a middle-aged man with dark skin and a perfectly bald head. He had been the doctor on the expedition to Atlantis and was highly requested in Auradon. He had the whitest smile Chad could recall seeing, and he was a master in the art of using that smile to dispel any worry in his patients.

But this time, Dr. Sweet was not smiling.

He walked over to the group of chairs and laid his palms on the back two chairs - one on Mal's and the other on Ben's. He didn't speak for a moment.

Chad's heart jumped into his throat and sat there, throbbing. It wasn't good. Whatever Dr. Sweet was about to say was going to be horrible. What had happened? Would Evie die?

"Doc?" Doug prompted.

Dr. Sweet sighed as if he were about to destroy what serenity was left in the room. "Evie is a curious case," he said slowly. "Her mother, Evil Queen, had magic at one point. This magic did not pass to Evie, but she carries it in her DNA. The baby, on the other hand, has just started exhibiting signs of magic at this point in the pregnancy. It is draining her energy with its magic. If another source of energy is not provided for the baby to drain, it will continue to drain the life from Evie until she dies."

Chad felt as if a slap across the face would have been kinder. In the short time he had known Dr. Sweet from Evie's appointments regarding the pregnancy, he knew the man was honest and blunt. But this was just too much.

Mal dropped her head into her hands, and Ben began rubbing her back.

"But...doesn't Evie have magic?" Doug asked. "Just enough to work her magic mirror?"

Dr. Sweet shook his head. "That is a magical artifact. It has a magic of its own and does not require the user to possess any magic whatsoever."

"So, what? Evie's just going to die because the magic skipped a generation and her body can't handle the baby's magic?" Doug snapped.

Dr. Sweet held up a hand to silence him. "She will if we don't supplement the child with something else. I am working on a solution right now. But I felt you all needed to be updated on the state of things."

"Well, can we see her?" Doug demanded.

"She is still in a coma and will be until we find the supplement. But, yes, if you wish, you may each go one at a time to see her," Dr. Sweet said.

Chad and Doug leaped to their feet. They exchanged a look of uncertainty, not sure who deserved to go first. But then Mal stood and silenced any mental debate with a look darker and more fierce than a hurricane. She left the room with Dr. Sweet, leaving absolutely no room for argument as to what the hierarchy in the group was.


	13. Chapter 13

It took over a week for Dr. Sweet to work out a tentative cure to Evie's magic deficiency. Mal had insisted that donating her own magic to Evie through skin-on-skin contact would do the job, but Dr. Sweet had advised against it. Direct magic that powerful could overwhelm Evie and the baby and make it worse. So, Mal had worked with Dr. Sweet to develop her magic into small manageable doses that Evie could take in the form of a purple elixir. A few hours after giving Evie the first dose, she had woken up. The next day, she felt strong enough to leave the hospital and return to campus. The following day after that, she was back at school and catching up on the work she had missed.

Aside from being worried over Evie's and the baby's condition, Chad had been focused on one thing: Jane.

The discovery of his father's affair with Fairy Godmother and their love child had consumed him. It had eaten away at his mind like a parasite until he couldn't take it any longer. He had to talk to Jane. He had to verify whether she had known about their sibling connection or not. He had to know what the next step was. Could they ever be close like siblings? Or was it hopeless to wish for something like that when the situation was so delicate?

On a Friday, a few days after Evie had returned to school, Chad tracked Jane down after school. Mal had informed him that Jane typically reshelved books in the Auradon Prep library after school for community service hours. He guessed that this would be the best time to confront her.

As Chad entered the library, the twisted knot that had settled in his stomach quivered unpleasantly. Why was he nervous? He had practically grown up with Jane. But, he reminded himself, he hadn't really grown up with her like he should have been able to had the truth about their connection been revealed. That was why he was pursuing this. He had to know that she knew.

"Jane?" he asked quietly.

"Huh?" Jane jerked her head up from where she was scanning the numbers on the spine of a book to find where to place it on the shelf. She was obviously used to doing this task undisturbed and in silence. After all, no one was in the library after class on a Friday afternoon, which was exactly what Chad had been hoping for. The only other person there would be the librarian, and she typically stayed behind the circulation desk eleven rows away. Completely out of earshot. No one would overhear them.

"I was wondering if we could talk," Chad said, walking over to her.

"Oh." Jane glanced around and returned her attention to the book in her hands. She found its place on the shelf above her and pushed it into its allotted place. She took hold of the cart of books beside her - all the titles that would have to be returned to their shelves before she left - and nodded. "Ok. About what?"

Chad followed her down the next aisle as she continued reshelving books. "I...uh..." He had gone over this multiple times in his head. It wasn't that complicated. He just had to do it. "Your father...you...never mention him."

Jane paused, her hand still on the spine of a book she had just pushed onto the shelf. Slowly, she turned to face him. "What?" She was facing him but her eyes didn't meet his.

"Your father...do you mind me asking who he is?" Chad asked. His voice was softer this time.

A shadow fell over Jane's face as she twisted her head away and picked up a new book from the cart. She turned it over in her hands. "You know."

It wasn't a question.

"I know," he confirmed.

Jane abruptly turned back to him. "What do you want, Chad? I'm not even supposed to go near your family besides school." She inhaled deeply and cast another glance around the deserted library. "You should leave."

"Hey," Chad said, lunging forward to grab the cart as she tried to roll away from him. "We're still on school property. Anybody asks, and we'll tell them I needed help on a project." At her eye roll, he frowned and released the cart. "Look, I just wanted to talk. He's your family too. So am I."

"He's not my father," she said firmly. "He abandoned me when I was an infant. Thus, I have no father." She pushed the cart down the aisle and stopped again to put more books away.

"He regrets that, you know," Chad said, but he didn't move to pursue her again. "He only did that because he thought he was losing my mom because of it."

"Maybe he should have lost her." Jane instantly hung her head and pressed a hand over her eyes.

Chad frowned and took a few steps closer. "Why do you say that?" he asked softly. He hoped she wouldn't start crying. The librarian would definitely hear that and come over to see what the commotion was and maybe even throw him out for upsetting Jane.

"He cheated on your mom," she said. "He would have deserved a divorce. And your mother had no right to dictate his interaction with me when her own father died suddenly in her youth. She condemned me to grow up without a father at all. She should have thought about how much it would hurt me."

"She was hurt too. Maybe she would think differently about it now," Chad suggested.

Jane laughed and looked up at him. "Doubtful. What do you even want from me, Chad?"

"We're siblings," Chad said. "I...I don't know. I thought that might mean something to you. I only recently found out about all of this."

"We're only siblings by blood," Jane said softly. She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I've known about this all my life. And I decided a long time ago that a family that wants nothing to do with me is a family I want no part of either."

"But I was never given that choice, Jane," Chad reasoned.

Jane shrugged. "What's the point? You'll be going off to college soon. We missed our chance for any sibling bonding."

"Is that the way you want it then?" The knot in Chad's stomach had uncoiled and become a raging dragon now. She had known. He had always wanted siblings, and at last he had a chance for a sibling, and she was rejecting him. How cruel was that?

Jane turned fierce eyes on him. "I don't want to be hurt again. I don't even remember my interactions with Charming. I have very few pictures. But I've felt his absence from my life more than I care to admit. So, yes, I want to stay very far away from you and your family. I won't put myself in that situation where I know I'll just be rejected again." She held up a hand when Chad tried to interject. "I'm not the sibling you want, Chad. You're closer with the guys on the tourney team than you will ever be with me. Drop it."

She wheeled the cart away and around the bend of the end of the aisle. Chad let her go, too heartbroken and shaky to give chase and demand she change her mind.


	14. Chapter 14

The remainder of Chad's senior year passed in a blur. When he wasn't doing homework, he was juggling his relationship with Audrey and his preliminary father duties with Evie. Evie had made a full recovery using Mal's magic elixirs. Now, she carried at least one with her everywhere she went and had one at every meal to keep the baby satisfied and to avoid slipping back into a coma. Ever since the initial incident with the coma, Doug refused to leave Evie's side. The two were inseparable and could often be found enjoying picnics in the rapidly warming weeks leading up to Chad and Audrey's graduation.

Chad hadn't spoken to Jane since the day he tracked her down in the library and she had refused to have anything to do with him. To avoid dwelling on the pain, Chad had thrown himself into baby preparation with Evie and wedding planning with Audrey. Since Evie was due to have the baby sometime during the first week of July, Audrey and Chad had set the date for their wedding to be one month prior so as to avoid both events overlapping. Unfortunately, this also meant there were only two weeks between the time Chad and Audrey would graduate and the day they would get married. This made the last few months of senior year much more hectic than Chad had ever imagined it being.

And so, the first weekend of June came and so did the day for Chad and Audrey's wedding.

"Hey, don't be nervous, it's just another day," Ben said and straightened Chad's tie for him. The pair stood in a dressing room above the church where they had spent the past hour getting ready for the wedding.

"Is that what you want me to tell you when I'm the best man at your wedding?" Chad asked, his voice a tad sharper than he meant it to be. His nerves felt like writhing snakes in his stomach. He couldn't believe his wedding was just a little over an hour away.

"Oh, by the time Mal and I get married, you'll probably have some awesome marriage advice to give," Ben said with a laugh.

Chad examined his reflection in the mirror for what must have been the twentieth time in the past half hour. His baby blue suit hugged him in all the right places, and it matched their wedding colors of baby blue and pale pink, just like Audrey had wanted. Not a hair was out of place on his head; he had spent most of the afternoon applying gel to make it so.

A knock came at the door, and both Chad and Ben turned.

Carlos slipped in the door and shut it behind him.

"What is it, Carlos? Aren't you supposed to be downstairs to help Jay with ushering in guests when they get here?" Chad asked. Honestly, he had to double-check because sometimes the finer details of the wedding day got muddled in his mind. There was just too much to remember.

Carlos rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. "About that..."

"What?" Chad asked sharply. Nothing could go wrong today. It just couldn't.

"Mal just called. She, Evie, and Doug aren't coming. Evie went into labor."

"What?!" Chad repeated. This time it was much louder, and he was pretty sure the room was spinning like a merry-go-round.

Carlos gave a short nod. "Her water broke, and they're on the way to the hospital."

"But she isn't due for another month!" Chad protested.

"Chad," Ben said, "deep breaths."

Chad spun to face him. "I can't take deep breaths! Why did she have to go into labor today of all days?! What am I going to do? Audrey will kill me if I miss our wedding."

Ben gripped Chad's shoulders. "Chad. Stop. Labor usually lasts a long time. I'm sure you can do the wedding and then go."

"And what about the reception?"

Ben dropped his hands from Chad's shoulders. "I don't know. I'm just trying to help."

Chad scrubbed a hand over his face and extended his hand to Ben. "Let me call Mal. I don't have her number." Ben handed over his cell phone.

A few rings later, Mal picked up, "Hello?"

"Mal," Chad said, pacing back and forth in front of the window. He played with the end of his tie as he spoke, trying to avoid glancing at Ben and Carlos out of the corner of his eye. "What's going on? Carlos just busted in here and said Evie's in labor."

"Yeah," Mal said. "We got here maybe five minutes ago. Dr. Sweet is already with her. He said that the supplemental magic Evie's been taking from me for the past few months probably made the baby grow faster. That's why the baby's early."

Chad sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He cursed mentally. There went two hours of gelling each hair into the perfect place. "Ok. Well, how long do you think we have until she has the baby?"

"Not long. Dr. Sweet said it's going fast."

This time, Chad cursed out loud. "Thanks, Mal." He hung up and shoved the phone back into Ben's hands. He quickly explained what Mal had said.

"So, what are you going to do?" Ben asked.

"I guess I've got to talk to Audrey and pray she doesn't eat me for wanting to leave my own wedding."

"Wait!" Ben said as Chad headed for the door. "You aren't supposed to see the bride before the wedding."

Chad rolled his eyes and opened the door.

* * *

Downstairs, Chad stood at the door to Audrey's dressing chambers. As Ben had warned him, he wasn't allowed to see Audrey before the wedding. Instead, Aurora had made him stand outside the door while she got Audrey. Now, they were speaking through a crack in the door with Chad's back to the door so he wouldn't catch even a glimpse of his wife-to-be.

"So, what are you going to do?" Audrey asked, her voice icy.

Chad sighed. "I have to go, Audrey. I can't miss the birth of my child."

"But what if you don't make it back in time? What if the labor ends up being longer than the doctor expects and she doesn't even have it tonight? Please, Chad, think about this," Audrey pleaded.

Chad wished that he could turn around and see her face. It would have been so much easier to convince her face-to-face. Or, maybe it would have made it easier for him to cave in and stay at the wedding and miss the birth. "Audrey...I can't take that risk," he said slowly. "I'll go to the hospital and just have to hope I can make it back in time for the wedding too."

"You're insane," Audrey snapped.

He wondered if she was about to cry. She would definitely murder him if he caused her makeup to run today.

But then Audrey sighed and spoke in a calmer tone, "Listen, I know the birth of the baby is important. But so is this."

"And I want to do both. That's why we scheduled the wedding a month before Evie's due date. But, I can't control this. And I can't miss it either."

Audrey didn't reply, and Chad wondered briefly if she had closed the door and walked away. But then she said, "You have an hour until the wedding starts. I'll stall as long as I can, but you better come back, Chad."

Chad smiled even though he knew she couldn't see it with his back to her. "You sure?"

"Yes. Go see the delivery."

Forgetting his reason for having his back to the door, he turned to try to hug her and thank her. However, the door snapped shut as soon as his face had begun to turn.

He sighed. The door opened again, but this time it was Jane who stepped into the corridor with Chad.

Chad raised an eyebrow at her. She was wearing a pale pink bridesmaid dress. Even though she had been avoiding Chad the past few months, she had accepted Audrey's invitation to be in the bridal party for the wedding.

"Hello, Jane," he said curtly.

"Hi, Chad."

Silence stretched between them for a moment before Chad said, "Well, I have to go. Excruciating labor and childbirth to witness, you know."

"Wait!" Jane grabbed his arm. "I just...I just wanted to say that I think it's nice you're making a point to see your baby born."

"Why?"

"Because Charming didn't make a point to see me born."

"Oh." Chad slowly nodded. "Yeah, well, I'm not my dad, so..."

"I know," Jane said quickly with a nod. "Of course, I know that."

"It didn't seem like you knew Dad and I were different people when we talked that day in the library," Chad said. He slipped his hands into his pockets.

"I know. I'm sorry. Maybe..." Jane took a deep breath. "Maybe we could try to hang out a little before you go to college."

Chad nodded. Then he smiled. "You want to start now?"

"Huh?"

"Come on." He jerked his head in the direction of the door. "Come see your niece or nephew be born."


	15. Chapter 15

Before Chad even opened the door, he could hear Evie screaming. Sobbing. In tremendous pain. His heart clenched itself into a compact ball for several breaths until it relaxed and began beating again. He twisted the door handle and slipped into the room. He had left Jane in the waiting room with Mal.

Evie was moaning now, tears running down her cheeks and into her blue hair that was pulled back into a loose ponytail. Doug stood beside her, his knuckles white on the hand that Evie had in a vice grip.

"It's ok," Doug told her, his voice level and calm. "You're doing great."

Evie just cried in response and shifted, tangling the sheets near her feet.

"You're almost ready to start pushing," Dr. Sweet said. He sat perched on a rolling stool between Evie's feet at the end of the bed.

Chad's legs felt like jelly. It was all too surreal to see his child finally being born. But he hadn't moved more than a foot from the door, making it seem like his feet had been glued in place.

It was then that Doug chose to look up and nodded to Chad. He motioned him to come closer.

Dr. Sweet looked up then and grinned at Chad. "Just in time, Mr. Charming. Now, we can start the party." He chuckled.

Evie glared at the back of the man's bald head as if she would rather strangle him than hear her delivery referred to as a 'party' ever again. Then her gaze slid to Chad, and she managed a pained smile. "I was afraid you'd miss it. I thought Audrey might not let you come."

Chad finally got his feet to work, and he wandered over to the hospital bed, standing on the opposite side as Doug. He took Evie's free hand and gave it a light squeeze. Her hand shook in his, and he could feel the sweat on her palm. "Nah," he said, grinning. "I wouldn't miss this, and Audrey understands."

He glanced up at Doug and gave him a hesitant smile. Things had gotten easier with Doug since Audrey and Chad had gotten serious about planning their wedding. Doug had realized Evie wouldn't be taken from him after all.

Evie moaned, screwing her face up in pain. "How much longer?" she whined to Dr. Sweet.

Dr. Sweet was instructing one of his nurses, and Chad wasn't sure he had heard. To distract Evie, he brushed some stray hairs back from her forehead and said, "Shh, it's going to be alright. Just think of meeting little Charlotte or Everett."

After months of Evie insisting she didn't want to know the gender before the delivery, Chad had agreed that they should pick out a name for both a girl and a boy. Now, they would finally get to see what name their precious bundle would end up with.

Evie nodded and forced a few quick breaths in and out.

Dr. Sweet turned back to address Evie. "Ok, we're ready to start pushing. Give me a good push, Evie."

Chad felt as if the bones in his hand were grinding together as Evie's grip tightened as she pushed. Looking across at Doug, Chad saw an identical expression of pain on his face.

Evie exhaled heavily and dropped her head back against the pillow after several tries to push. "I can't," she whined. More strands of azure hair had found their way to her forehead and were stuck in place on her brow, glued there with sleek sweat.

"Yes, you can," Doug said, rubbing her wrist. "You're doing great."

Evie took a few moments to catch her breath and began pushing again. It was agonizing work. For the better part of a half hour, Evie moaned and pushed and cried and pushed. Chad was sure he would have several broken bones by the end of it, but he knew the pain in his hand had to be nothing compared to Evie's pain.

Finally, Dr. Sweet pulled a screaming infant from between Evie's legs. Evie collapsed back against her pillows, breathing heavily while Chad and Doug moved down to Dr. Sweet.

"Together?" Chad asked Doug. Doug nodded, and they used the scissors together to cut the baby's cord.

Dr. Sweet laid the naked and screaming baby on Evie's chest. "We'll get him cleaned up in a few minutes."

"Him?" Evie asked wearily. Her fatigue was evident on her face, but she eased herself up enough to see the infant and wrap her arms around him. "Everett," she whispered, her voice tired and worn out. She stroked his cheek and then looked up at Chad. "He looks just like you."

Chad gave a nervous laugh. His baby was here and healthy. He felt dizzy just at the image of Evie clutching their son close. "I don't know," he said, grinning. "The blue hair is definitely from you."

Indeed, even though the child's entire body was pasty from his birth, there was no question that his full head of hair was a startling sapphire blue. Just like his mother's.

"Just means it's a perfect combination," Evie said.

Doug cleared his throat, looking slightly uncomfortable. Chad wondered if it was due to Evie's comment. "I'll give you two a minute," Doug said and left the room.

It was then that a nurse approached to take Everett. She took him to a corner of the room to clean him and wrap him in a blue and gold blanket. The tiny hat pulled down over his ears was the same shade of light blue at the blanket and boasted a gold trim.

"No, let Chad hold him," Evie said when the nurse made to hand Everett back to her.

Chad took the incredibly tiny bundle from the nurse and held it close. He gazed down at the small human he and Evie had made. Everett opened his eyes and stared up at Chad with curiosity. He had calmed since being swaddled in the soft blanket. His eyes, like his hair, were blue, but their shade was bright blue like the midday sky.

"Hi," Chad said softly, admiring his son and how tiny Everett's nose was and how rosy his cheeks were. "You are so loved, you know that?"

Of course, Chad knew Everett wouldn't understand his words until he was a bit older, but that didn't stop him from speaking the truth. Regardless of all the drama that had tangled itself in the pregnancy, Chad could only feel relief and happiness flooding through him. That was how he wanted to remember this moment, and he wanted Everett to know that as well.

But a thought jolted him back to the present, and he bent to push Everett into Evie's arms. "Audrey's waiting to get married," he reminded Evie at the startled expression on her face.

"Oh! I forgot. Go, go! We'll talk later." She grinned.

Chad nodded and moved to the door. He looked back after he opened the door, soaking in the view of his child wrapped in Evie's arms as she beamed down at him and hummed him a lullaby. Then he flew out the door. He had a wedding to return to.


	16. Chapter 16

Audrey didn't ask about the delivery until after the wedding ceremony. Granted, how could anyone discuss a private matter like that while two hundred wedding guests watched your every move and clung to every word as you vowed to love each other forever? Needless to say, Audrey politely waited until they were in the privacy of a back room at the chapel where they waited for the officiant to bring their marriage license for them to sign. From there, they would move to the reception venue.

"So, was the baby born before you had to leave?" Audrey asked, apprehension clear in her voice as if she was nervous Chad would be angry if he missed the birth to rush back to their wedding.

Chad nodded, his smile widening. He hadn't stopped grinning for the past hour. His baby was born! He was married!

"Well," Audrey prompted him, nudging his shoulder. "Aren't you going to elaborate or do I have to drag it out of you?"

"It's a boy," Chad said. "We named him Everett."

Audrey grinned and sighed in relief. "I was hoping it was a boy."

Chad raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth, ready to ask why Audrey cared about the gender. But at that moment, the officiant walked in with a stamped piece of parchment.

"Sorry about the wait," the man said, ushering them over to a table in the center of the room and laying the parchment on the glossy wooden surface. He pulled a feather quill and ink bottle out of thin air. Chad didn't know to whom the man was related, but it was obvious he had magic in his veins.

As Audrey took the offered quill and bent over at the waist to sign the marriage license, Chad couldn't help feeling impatient. Why had Audrey been glad about Everett being a boy? Even though she was supportive of the baby, having grown increasingly warmer to the idea over the past several months, her sudden interest in the gender was suspicious.

Chad signed his looping signature on the line that the man indicated. Instantly, the parchment rolled itself up, and a gold ribbon laced itself around the scroll. With an audible 'pop', a blue wax seal appeared over the tie in the ribbon.

The officiant grinned and whisked the scroll off the table. "Have a lovely reception, and a happy life together." With that, he disappeared in a cloud of blue smoke.

Chad waved away the smoke, absently wondering if Fairy Godmother had a brother as that would have been the most plausible explanation for the officiant's obvious love of eccentric magic.

But Chad had other things to worry about. He turned to Audrey. She was smoothing out a nonexistent wrinkle in her white gown that sparkled with pink diamonds all over the ballgown skirt.

"What?" Audrey asked, her eyes wide as if worried there was lettuce in her teeth or a single hair had become dislodged from her sleek up-do.

"Why were you hoping it was a boy?" Chad asked. He wasn't mad, but he was suspicious, his voice laced with wariness.

"Oh." Audrey gave a nervous laugh, almost relieved. "Because we're having a girl."

Chad laughed. "Oh, Audrey, I'm sure we'll have a daughter, but that's, like, several years down the road."

Audrey's smile collapsed, and it suddenly clicked in Chad's mind that he had misheard her. She hadn't said she wanted them to have a daughter, which was what he had originally heard. No, she had said they were having a girl. Present tense.

"Wait," Chad said slowly. "What?"

Audrey exhaled slowly before explaining. "Do you remember when I was sick a few weeks ago and went to see Ms. Odie?"

"You said it was a stomach virus!" Chad had to clear his throat to rid himself of the high pitch his voice had slipped into at the end of that sentence.

Audrey frowned. "Are you mad?"

"I..." Chad pulled one of the chairs back from the table and sat down heavily. He stared at the opposite wall. "I don't know what I am."

Audrey sat in the chair beside him, being careful not to sit on her dress where a crease would form and unsightly wrinkle. She laid her hand on his arm. "I knew I shouldn't have told you today. I've ruined our wedding day."

"No, no," Chad pulled his gaze away from the wall and fixed it on her. "No, you haven't ruined anything. I'm just shocked. I mean, I just had a son an hour ago."

"I know!" Audrey sighed. "I just couldn't wait a second longer. It's been killing me to keep it from you, but I knew you had enough on your plate with Evie and the baby and wedding plans. I just..." She didn't finish the sentence and looked down at her hands, which were now in her lap.

Chad tilted her face back up so she would look at him. "I understand your reasons. I'm not angry." He stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. "Just give me a second to process. I mean, I'm going to have two kids less than a year apart by two different women. Oh, Dad's going to kill me."

Audrey laughed at that, though it was still full of worry. "Hey. You're married now, so he can't complain about our daughter."

Chad nodded, seeing her point and exhaling in relief. "Wait, how do you know it's a girl anyways?" Since Evie had elected to keep the gender unknown until the delivery, Chad couldn't recall when exactly a baby's gender could be determined. Even so, it had to be way too soon for Audrey to know.

"Ms. Odie," Audrey said. "When she told me it wasn't a stomach virus and said I was pregnant, I asked. She can read auras, and so she could tell instantly that it was a girl."

Again, Chad nodded. He had forgotten the school nurse could do that. Not having magic himself, it was easy to forget what all magic could do sometimes.

"So, you're definitely not mad?" Audrey asked, edging closer.

Chad pulled her into his lap, grinning. "Definitely not mad. But let's wait till tomorrow to tell everyone. Dad will go into cardiac arrest if we mention it tonight."

Audrey giggled and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "Deal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N from original upload on fanfiction.net (7/6/2017): Thank you guys so much for reading this story! I know this story has gone through periods of no updates for months, but it is finally completed. Thank you so much for sticking with it and continuing to read. My stories would not be possible without you guys as supportive readers and reviewers. But as I said, this story is now complete and will not receive any new updates. If you wish to know when I post new stuff, please give me an author follow and be sure to check out my other stories. For now, keep reading and keep loving life.
> 
> Foarrin


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